Alessia’s Guide to Surviving the Vampire Diaries(not updating)
by Lexxwonder
Summary: A girl finds herself reborn as Bonnie’s older sister. She refuses to have her family suffer for some silly doppelgänger. How will she protect her family from the mess that’s coming to Mystic Falls? And why are all of her enemies so hot?
1. One

**Kalopsia: **_def. _the delusion of things being more beautiful than they are.

Chapter 1: Oh, boy.

Blurs of white and blue fly by my limited vision as I try to gasp for air. My throat feels raw and unused, like I need to clear my throat but don't have the muscular control to. Something firm passes through my mouth, clearing the film away, leaving my very confused self to call for help, an explanation, anything. All that I hear in my stuffed ears is the shrill cry of an infant, and that's when it clicks. I know exactly where I am and what's happened. My soul has once again made its way through the circle of life back to the Genesis.

So, we start the carousel once again. I'm sure you can probably guess what I mean by this, but long story short, this isn't my first time waking up to this chaos. I don't recall precisely what my prior lives were, who I was, who I cared about. The overwhelming feeling of deja vú is too strong to ignore, and I feel an innate sense of how _wrong _it was that I was very aware of my situation. I wonder how much I actually _know. _Clearly, I still had an adult level intellect, and I didn't _really _remember my lives, but I definitely remembered things that were in them. Like doctors, and hospitals, and the tv that I heard in the corner of the delivery room. There was no way this was normal, but I guess it was normal for me since I felt myself calm as I was cleaned and wrapped in a soft swaddle and placed in the nurturing arms of a brown blur. The shape of a large hand enters my field of vision and for some reason I recognize it as my father's. Perhaps he had talked to me while I was in the womb? Laid his hands on my mother's stomach? Who knows.

I purse my small lips at the feeling of his rough skin caressing my small cheek. The sensation is strange since it's so new, but not unwelcome, and I use my limited movement to grasp his large knuckle when he presses it into my palm. His hands feel _enormous_. "She's _beautiful, _Abby. God, you did wonderful, sweetheart," his rough voice calls out, presumably to the brown blob on the white blob. _Thank God, I'm a girl! I guess Abby is my mother's name, then. _I hear the murmurs of the doctors and nurses as well, but ignore it as I strain to hear the tired sighs from the brown blur in my vision. "Bring her to me, Rudy baby, I wanna hold her before I take a nap." _Who names their son 'Rudy'? Poor guy. _I feel a small breeze and enjoy the sway of my father's swagger as he walks to my mother.

I'm then cradled by much softer hands, and I feel something wet splash my cheek as my mother blur sniffles above me. Her murmurs of how happy she is to see me, and how I was worth the late nights and morning sickness, bring me such joy that a small smile pulls on the unused muscles on my face and I try to coo at her, successfully making a weird 'ah' sound. My mom shudders above me with emotion, and I realize that I'm so happy to make her happy. This feels oddly familiar as well, I guess that the bond between parents and children is forged very early on, cuz I already loved them both quite a bit.

A blue smudge comes up to my mother, and I can see what I think is a smile as it looks at me before turning back to my mom. "Have you decided on her name yet; Mrs. Bennett?" _Huh, Abby and Rudy Bennett. Why does that sound familiar? Maybe I've lived _this _life before. _My mother sighs happily, looking down at me once again.

"Alessia Marie Bennett."

Well, I can work with that.

*

It didn't take me too long to figure out what kind of world I had been reborn into. Bonnie Sheila Bennett was born February 5, 1993, a year and 3 days after me. I had a bit of a panic when she had been brought home, when I realized that I had full knowledge of what was going to happen to our family, and our loved ones. We Bennetts were destined for a life of heartbreak and loss. We'd lose our Grams, Mom, Dad, and many others in the supernatural downward spiral that would be Mystic Falls in the not too distant future. And all for one little girl named Elena Gilbert. I remember that the first time Bonnie had Elena over for a play date when I was 5, I had firmly decided that I was not going to allow for my loved ones to be taken from me just so she could live. Call me selfish, I honestly don't care, but for me to make it out of the shit storm headed our way with minimal casualties there would have to be _major _changes.

And unfortunately, changing the future that I was aware of had a significant amount of risk as well, that being that once I did change something big I'd have no idea how it'd effect the rest of the future. I didn't even know how much having _me _here would change what I knew now. The best I'd be able to do is change only a few things in a big way. I wouldn't be able to save everyone, and that was a difficult pill to swallow. I played with the majority of the main players of Mystic Falls as a child. Tyler Lockwood, Caroline Forbes, Matt and Vicki Donovan, Jeremy Gilbert, these were all my friends as we all grew up. It was difficult weight to carry to know that these happy times were very close to their end.

So, I had to prepare, and to do that, I'd have to be the baddest Bennett witch bitch this world had ever seen. Definitely not an easy task, especially with my father being so distinctly anti-magic, and my mother still leaving because she picked the Gilbert doppelgänger over her family, but I refused to let his ignorance and her stupidity be our downfall. It just meant they weren't as high on my survival list. You can call me a bad person, but I value loyalty more than any other trait, and their blatant abandonment of me and Bonnie to our alcoholic Grams wouldn't be easily forgiven.

Speaking of Grams, that was one facet of the story I changed as soon as possible. I knew that Grams could tell I was unique, as she always eyed me with a gleam of suspicion in her old dark eyes. Perhaps her magic could sense there was something about me that wasn't quite right, like an extra puzzle piece that didn't fit. So, when I finally felt my magic spark to life at the age of 7, I went straight to her and demanded answers. To say that she was surprised would be saying the least, as she hadn't expected my magic to awaken till I was at least 13, and that was just the age for gifted witches. I remember saying a silent thank-you to the universe for giving me the gift of being a prodigy, it gave me time I desperately needed. She agreed to teach me, but only with the contingency that I don't tell Bonnie, and believe me it was difficult to hide anything from those large perceptive green eyes.

I hesitantly agreed. Mostly because I knew Bonnie wouldn't _really_ get into magic until she was fifteen, and if I was strong enough, by then, I could probably teach her myself. And let me tell you, being gifted with Nature's power was not small potatoes. When I was sad, the wind would try to comfort me, I could feel the power of life all around me, beckoning me to use it. The connection to the Earth was so intense that I could see why witches went insane when they lost it. With any luck I'd walk out of this mess with my magic, because I don't know what I'd do without it's influence in me. Grams also said that because my magic was so strong so young, me losing that connection could actually kill me.

That was also another realization I had to think about for quite sometime. There was a good chance that I would die within the next 10 years. Vampires, enemy witches, vengeful werewolves, Originals, Travelers, Expression, there were so many things that could kill me if I wasn't careful where I stepped. Bonnie was going to need me to look after her, I refused to let her be the self-sacrificing doormat that she'd been in my memories. She would sacrifice herself for that doppelgänger over my _rotting corpse. _But, then again who knew? That might be the case at some point. So it was important that I wasn't _just _a strong witch, I also had to be lethal if magic wasn't an option against my enemies. This driving force resulted in me getting enrolled into several martial arts and weapons courses when I was 10. I'm sure on the outside it looked like I was an overachiever, but oh well.

The next six years passed and me and Bonnie were as thick as thieves. Most of my time when I wasn't training or doing schoolwork (and eventually cheerleading, so I could effectively keep an eye on the main girls), I was with her, and this led to a sibling bond I wouldn't replace with anything in the world. My magic was strong and so was I. I wasn't sure if I'd ever truly be ready to face what was coming in the next year, but I was determined to try.

*

Today was it. The start of my senior year and the start of Bonnie's junior year signaled the entrance of the Salvatores. Tingles trickled up and down my spine at the nerves circling my gut like a hawk. With a sigh, I sat up out of bed and walked over to my closet, grabbing a pair of skinny jeans, a light pink camisole, and a cute faux leather jacket. _We respect animals in THIS household, _I chuckled to myself as I walked out of my room to the shower, only to hear "Walking On Sunshine" blaring from the bathroom. Not hearing the shower, I knock on the door. "Bons! Hurry up! I wake an hour after you so that you can take forever _earlier, _and I can go to school not sleep-grimy."

I hear her laugh from the other side of the door before it suddenly opens, causing me to jump a bit. Bright green eyes sparkle teasingly as Bonnie laughs at my slightly surprised face before exiting the bathroom. "It's all yours, Lessy. Hurry up though, we have to pick up Elena." I roll my eyes at that, as Bonnie good-naturedly smacks my shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll stop for coffee so you can tolerate my _best friend._" She's very aware that my regard for Elena didn't start high, and has lowered significantly through our teen years as I watched her play Matt and adapt an 'I'm better than you' attitude, specifically towards my favorite girl besides my sister, Caroline, which caused the blonde to develop a bit of an inferiority complex.

"Kk, I'll be out in 15," I say blandly before closing the door in my lovely little sister's face. The hot water running down my back provides the perfect setting to do some light meditation to calm my mind. There was a _lot _to do today, and I needed to stay focused. When I opened my light brown eyes, I realized that I focused a bit too much. The water from the showerhead was hovering around the entirety of the bathroom, and I couldn't stop the sigh of annoyance from escaping me. Magic was pretty cool or whatever but unconsciously doing things was just irritating to deal with, like setting your remote too far away from you, an inconvenience. I quickly send the water down the drain as I hop out of the shower with renewed vigor. As I wiped off the steamy mirror, I took a good look at myself. Not to be too vain, but us Bennetts had _great _genes.

Large plump pink lips, cute straight button nose, and large caramel eyes framed by thick dark lashes looked back at me. My favorite features are my high cheekbones and my honey skin tone, they made me feel very elegant and powerful looking. Second place would definitely go to my hair though. Bonnie acknowledged the time and relaxes her hair regularly, while I decided to keep my bouncy curls that came to my shoulders and fluffed outwards. Definitely not an Afro, but definitely not flat. Don't let it be said that I didn't fry my hair, too though. At the moment it was dyed a platinum blonde, nearly white.

I quickly pull my hair into a half-up, half-down do, before pulling a few curls out to frame my face. Some mascara, eyeliner, lipgloss, and concealer for my under eyes and your girl was lookin' cute and ready for war. Unfortunately, in my hubris I'd forgotten to put on my clothes and had to rush to throw them on without messing up the work I'd done. A quick glance at the time, and the sound of footsteps coming towards the bathroom told me I was running _slightly _behind schedule. I bolt out of the bathroom, nearly trampling Bonnie, and speed to grab my socks, boots, backpack, and cheer duffle bag. Caroline would have my _ass _if I forgot my workout gear again. I pass Bonnie again as she grabs her purse and keys from her bedroom, and just like that we're out the door and ready to face the fire.

*

"Don't worry, I'll hop in the back once Gilbert gets in," I say to Bons as we exit the coffee shop. I might not like the doppelgänger, but that doesn't mean I don't pity the loss she and her brother are going through. "Thanks, I just think she's gonna pretend like she's okay when everyone knows that she's not," Bonnie replies gratefully. That's my sweet, compassionate sister, always caring about everyone. The drive to the Gilberts is in comfortable silence as we listen to the radio and drink our Frappuccinos. What? Just cause I'm a badass doesn't mean I like _all _stereotypical badass stuff. Black coffee is just gross. We pull into the driveway and I promptly plant my ass in the back seat, pulling out my iPod and starting to listen to "Cut" by Plumb. I see Jenna rush out of the house with a stack of papers and looking flustered. _Hope she's okay. Yikes. _

Elena finally hops in and I immediately know she is _not _okay. And considering my witchy woo doesnt include empathic abilities, that's saying a _lot_. What can I say, I am garbage at telling how someone's feeling, normally. I stare out the window as we drive to school, watching the hustle and bustle of early morning Mystic Falls. I can tell when I glance back at Bonnie that she's talking about Grams starting to reveal our witch heritage to her by the disbelief painted on her face as she talks to a not-really-paying-attention Elena. The windshield is suddenly struck by a crow, causing Bonnie to slam on the brakes and send my head straight for the back of the passenger seat and my headphones careening out of my ears. We swerve hard to the right of the road, and all of us look at each other for a few moments before Bonnie speaks up.

"What was that?! Oh my god! Elena, are you okay?"

I'm still stunned for a few seconds and it appears Elena is too. I unconsciously start fixing my now messed up hair as Elena turns back to Bons, "Its okay, I'm fine."

"It was like a bird or something. It came out of nowhere."

"I think it was a crow or a raven or something," I say absentmindedly. I feel a glare working onto my face as an uneasy feeling of 'this has Damon dickery all over it' worked through my gut. Looks like I'd have to pay a complimentary visit to said Salvatore much sooner than I thought.

"Really," Elena started, trying her best to sound convincing, "I can't be freaked out by cars for the rest of my life." _True, but no one would blame you if you were._

After an exhale, Bonnie's face turns into the definition of perseverance. "I predict this year is going to be kick ass. And I predict all the sad and dark times are over, and you are going to be beyond happy." As the smiles worked there way on their faces, I couldn't stop the sad one that tilted on my lips as I looked at the crow on the Laurel Ave. sign.

_Bonnie has no idea how wrong she is._

_*_

As Bonnie and I load our things in our lockers (thank god we were only three apart this year), I see Matt looking at Elena with a kicked puppy face. I feel for the dude, but he had to move on. Especially with who was at school today.

"He hates me," she sighs out.

"That's not hate, that's 'you dumped me, but I'm too cool to show it, but I'm secretly listening to Air Supply's greatest hits'."

"I concur," I say as I pull out my history book and slide it into my book bag while hurling my duffle in it's place, "He just misses you, dude, and he probably thinks he did something wrong." Elena turns toward me to respond, but is cut off as my favorite blonde hurricane makes her way to us.

"Alessia!!" She calls in a happy tone and I find myself tackled in a tight hug. I hadn't seen Caroline in three weeks because of a kendo tournament and her planning the festival with the rest of the student council. I squeeze her back just as tight as I mimic her name, "Caroline!!"

We have an adorable little hug wobble session before she suddenly realizes who else is here and turns to my least favorite doppelgänger.

"Elena. Oh my god," she wraps the brunette in a comforting embrace as she asks in her hair, "How are you?"

The uncomfortable look on Elena's face starts to piss me off as she looks at Care like she's a nuisance for caring. Caroline releases her before continuing excitedly, "Oh, its so good to see you," she turns to Bonnie who is smiling a lot more genuinely at the blonde than she had in my memory. Since me and Caroline were so close, it gave Bonnie the chance to be much closer with the sweethearts blonde as well. "How is she? Is she good?"

"Caroline, I'm right here. And I'm fine. Thank you."

"Really?" Caroline asks softly, and I can see how much she doesn't believe Elena either.

"Yes. Much better."

"Oh, you poor thing," Elena finds herself in Caroline's arms once more and I start to glare at Elena's attempts to bat her off like a fly.

"Okay, Caroline," she says in a strained voice, and I see even Bonnie looking a little miffed at her rude behavior to someone who's just trying to be nice. Said someone links her arm through mine before turning back to my sister and the doppelgänger. "I'm gonna borrow Aless for a sec, see you guys later?" Oh, this woman's happy energy is a blessing and I feel my irritation being soothed. But, I still might cast a spell and have Elena's phone alarm go off in class. No one messes with my bestie. Caroline promptly takes me away from the source of my annoyance and walks us over to the front office.

"Sorry, girl. I just needed a battle buddy for when I ask Ms. Watkins to move me to first period History with you guys. There's _no _way I'm teacher-aiding for the freshman's health class!" I inwardly shiver remembering just how _gross _that class had been, I don't blame her, and I tell her as much.

"By the way, Care, gotta say I love what you've done with your hair today. Looks way better than flat hair."

Caroline stifles a laugh at my jab at Elena before playfully swatting me on the shoulder, making me giggle. "What! You know she was being a bitch back there, after all, you're the queen of subtle digs."

Caroline rolls her cornflower blue eyes before tucking a blonde strand behind her ear as we wait in line to talk to the surly secretary, "She's going through a rough time, I can cut her some slack." Suddenly, her eyes blink owlishly at something behind me before she blushes bright red, and I feel a chill run up my spine. Unwillingly, I slowly turn around at who I _know _Care is gawking at, and I'm met with the most gorgeous forest green eyes I've ever seen. They're so deep, I think for a second I met get sucked in. _Stefan Salvatore. _

His eyes seem locked on mine, and they slightly widen as if there was something he saw in them, and I have to blink myself out of the odd trance I felt myself fall in. "_Next,"_ I hear Ms. Watkins call, and I turn to see Caroline reluctantly turning her attention to the woman. I hear him clear his throat behind me, and honestly, I don't wanna turn back around. I understand Elena _so _much better now, I'd be torn if I had to look at anyone else while dating this Adonis. My head reluctantly turns back and I see his green eyes sparkling in what I think is amusement if the slight grin is any indicator. But, there's something else there, something deeper in his eyes that I just can't read.

"Sorry to bother you, you just seem familiar."

Oh my god, his voice is like _butter_. Oh, no. This is no good at all. I gotta stay far, **far** away from this vamp.

**_A/n: Hey! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, stay tuned for more! And if you liked my story, feel free to look at my other ongoing story, The Other Petrova. _**


	2. Two

**Orphic: **_def. _mysterious and entrancing; beyond ordinary understanding

Chapter 2: Well, I Dunno What the Hell I'm Doing.

_I need to get the hell away from this brooding pretty boy. _

"Sorry, dude, I don't think we've met," I say before turning back to Caroline, who now has a signed class swap sheet in her pretty hands. "Let's bounce, Care Bear." My blonde bestie looks at me like I'm nuts before turning her attention back to Stefan, looking awful flushed and apologetic.

"I'm sorry about her, I'm Caroline," she starts with a flirty smile, and Stefan smiles back politely, "Aless is usually a lot more friendly, must be first day nerves." I glare at her meaningfully, trying to get her to see that I don't wanna be around this guy, but she brushes me off with a matching look. Stefan chuckles before glancing back at me.

"It's fine, after all she doesn't know me that well, yet." _And I wish I didn't have to. "Next,_" Ms. Watson temperamentally hints, and I quickly link arms with Caroline, starting to drag her out of the front office. If there is an escape route being offered, I would be an idiot not to take advantage of it. Although, I might be a complete dumbass considering how _cute _I thought he was. The broody, no-responsibility-taking, whiny vampire in my memories was hot, but it's _way _different seeing it for reals. So, I promptly dragged Caroline our with a polite wave to the amused Stefan on our way out.

I only make it about halfway down the hallway before she snatched her arm from my grip. "Uh, what do you think you're doing, Alessia? He was super cute and you dragged me away before we even got around to really talking!" A pout works it's way on her face as blonde brows furrow at me in annoyance. I try to disarm the bomb I've inadvertently set up for myself.

"Oh, come on, girl. You know that boy looked like a total fuddy dud."

Cornflower eyes look at me like I'm nuts, "What the _hell_ is a 'fuddy dud'?!"

_This is not going as well as I thought it would, _I roll my eyes before replying, "He looks like he's as bland as white bread is what I mean. Totally no fun, so I decided to bail. Also, I get weird vibes from him."

"Oh, you mean the _totally hot _vibes? Cuz that's what I was picking up!" She whisper yells at me emphatically, before realizing that we were in the middle of the hall and promptly yanked me to the side before continuing, "Plus, he hasn't seen Elena so I've gotta strike while the iron's hot."

I put a hand on her shoulder, making her pay attention to me. "I keep telling you, Care, any guy worth your time won't give Elena the time of day. She's lucky that it's in fashion to be boring."

Caroline can't stop the giggle that forces its way up her throat before she grabs my hand, and "Come on, we're gonna be late to see that jerk, Mr. Tanner."

She drags me down the next few hallways before turning into my least favorite teacher's classroom. Her quiet gasp reminds me that Stefan is also here, popping a squat on one of the desks. _Goddammit. _

_*_

_Jesus Christ, just fuck already! _I think to myself as I watch Salvatore and Gilbert trade lovelorn glances like they've been together for eternity. I understood why Stefan was acting all Romeo, but his Juliet had just met him today, and it's super weird how much tension they're generating when she doesn't know the guy. Caroline is fuming on my right, and on the other side, Bonnie is very entertained by the chemistry in front of us. I watch her shoot a text to the now-playing-coy Elena about the heated stare down the vampire is throwing her way.

_Let me die. _

_*_

Me and Bonnie quickly went home after scheduling a hangout with Elena and Caroline later at the Grill. I quickly jumped into my workout clothes and went out to the backyard. I absolutely adore being in our backyard, it not only had many herbs and vegetables growing, it also housed my very own rose garden and apple tree. So much magic had been used and connected to back here during my training with Grams that the soil became a florist's wet dream. This was also one of the best places to be a Bennett witch.

The flowers opened up in their welcome, the dew on the grass lightly swayed towards me, and the vines along our fence writhed along the painted wood. _This_ connection is what kept me centered. There were many times where I felt like I was losing my mind trying to figure out exactly how to get out of this with me, Bonnie, and Caroline still breathing. Anyone else I could spare would be a cherry on top, but I desperately needed to feel understood and like I wasn't alone. Nature is perpetual and everywhere, it never leaves me alone, and it's always there with open arms. I once again feel blessed that I can harness magic without much help from my ancestors. In my book, those dead bitches were vindictive and judgmental, as if they had a right to govern the living just because we shared blood. _I think not. If there's one thing I won't stand for, it's some know-it-all, weak ass corpse telling me what to do with my magic._

With that thought in mind, I begin my stretches. I found that yoga is the easiest way to limber up when preparing to do strenuous activity, specifically because I need to do some vampire-oriented combat training before I make my move tonight. I'd already dug up our great, great, great etc.'s grimoire over the summer, now I just had to strike up a deal with the devil.

But, I'll wait till after he fucks with Vicki a bit. Don't want her to die, necessarily, but she did call me a 'dirty slut' last year when me and Tyler were seeing if we could be more than friends, not to mention she's being totally rude to Jeremy. Karma's a bitch and so am I.

*

"'Sup, Matt. Tyler," I say as I stride up to their shared table. I already had the pleasure of witnessing Ty and Vicki's weird flirting in front of Matt, and honestly, I wanted to gag. I didn't have feelings for the werewolf anymore, but it definitely was still a bit of a cringe subject. "I'm gonna guess you finally found out about Vicki?"

Tyler goes fuschia and Matt blinks at me, slightly surprised that I knew. "And you didn't wanna say anything?" Matt asks without any real bite to it, and I can't help but shrug.

"It was pretty obvious, dude. She got super jealous over that thing last year, not to mention I've seen them make out like 3 times at school today."

Matt rolls his baby blue eyes as he focuses his glare back on Tyler. I can tell he's not too miffed though, since he isn't leaving to go walk somewhere else. Matt was such a sweetheart that he hated his friends seeing him upset with them. He didn't want to make them feel bad, so he'd just leave if he got too worked up. _Good for him, way to support his sister's decisions. Elena could probably learn something from him. _Then, I started thinking about how anyone could actually break up with the football star. He was handsome, sweet, kind, and extremely compassionate. If he had a little bit more _vavavoom, _I'd say he reminded me a lot of Caroline, _another _person who somehow was single.

Not saying I'd date him though. I had decided quite a long time ago that I wouldn't date _non-_supernatural boys or girls. Way too fragile, and I don't have time to constantly protect someone who can't really protect themselves. Tyler's dark eyes finally look up at me, nervously, like he thinks I'm gonna blow up on him. I sling an arm across his broad, muscular shoulders and give him a comforting squeeze.

"Chill, Tyty, you're still good in my books as long as you aren't a douche to her."

He looks like that's not what he wants to hear, but quickly brushes it off and wraps his arm around my waist, giving me a squeeze back before we both release each other. He turns back to me with a soft look on his handsome face, "Don't worry, I've been doing those breathing things you told me about. They've helped a lot."

Good _lord_, I had been more than nervous that Tyler was gonna be the same dickhead from my memories. Like, he was definitely still a dick, but not an 'I force myself on girls' kinda dick. Or at least I _really _hoped so, that's the energy I was gonna put out into the universe anyway.

I see Caroline and Bonnie walk into the main area of the Grill, with Care Bear already having a drink in her hand, and I quickly gave a quick wave to the boys before flouncing over to my favorite girls in the world. I wrapped an arm around my sister as I walked with both of them, catching the info spill Caroline was dumping.

"His name is Stefan Salvatore. He lives with his uncle up at the old Salvatore boardinghouse. He hasn't lived here since he was a kid. Military family, so they moved around a lot. He's a Gemini, and his favorite color is blue."

I arch a brow, knowing just how good she was at getting info from my memories, but it was nonetheless very impressive to witness. "Damn, chica, got his blood type yet?" I ask jokingly and Bonnie's shoulders shake in her giggles.

"It's in the works!" She replies brightly.

"You got all of that in one day?" Bonnie questions, clearly surprised at how good her information network is.

Caroline brushes the compliment off with a shrug of her shoulders, "Oh, please, I got all that between third and fourth period. We're planning a June wedding."

And with that our social butterfly flutters off to grace the presence of someone across the room. Bonnie arches a fine brow at me, clearly wondering if I understood the enigma that was a prominent feature in my life. I shrug my shoulders in response. Trying to figure out the whirlwind that was Caroline Forbes was like asking why flowers bloom. Sure, it could be done, but it was way more fun to just witness it. "Hey, where's your broody bestie? I thought we agreed 6:00?" I ask nonchalantly, just to keep the conversation going.

"Aw, cut her some slack, Lessy. We're lucky she's even out of bed."

"True, it was just a question," I say with a dismissive wave. I didn't mean anything by it anyway. We grab a table before ordering a couple drinks with the fake I.D.s we got last year. Swiftly, our group's blond football star slides into one of the chairs across from us, eyes focused like Care's when she wanted to know something.

"How's Elena doing?"

The question immediately makes an eye roll cross my face before I cradle my face in my hands, clearly bored with the subject. Bonnie is the true heroine and answers like a champ.

"Her mom and dad died, how do you think?" _Major points for the subtle snark, Bons. _"She's putting on a good face, but it's only been four months."

"Has she said anything about me?" His baby blues look nearly desperate as he asks, and I have to knock lightly on the table just to stop myself from rolling my eyes again.

"Oh, no. _So _not getting in the middle. You pick up the phone and call her." _Tell him, Bons! _He suddenly turns his questioning gaze to me and I immediately give him a dismissive wave, "Oh no, you don't. You're well aware that me and Elena ain't that close, I have no idea where her head is at."

He nods, shaking his head at how stupid the insinuation was, before turning back to my lovely sister. The waiter brings our Long Island iced teas and I swirl the alcoholic beverage with my straw as Matt continues, "I feel weird calling her, she broke up with me."

"Give it more time, Matt," Bonnie suggests compassionately, having no idea how bad that advice was as the Grill door opens to reveal Elena followed closely by the talk of the town, Stefan Salvatore. My face immediately stretches into a 'yikes' as the energy at the table gets very awkward very quickly. I spot Caroline's disheartened glance as she notices the two walk in together as well. _Oof. _

"More time, huh?" Matt asks sarcastically, giving the table his saddest puppy dog look before getting up and walking over to the pair to introduce himself. Me and Bonnie share the same look then: _yikes._

Caroline quickly plops her adorable butt down in the chair since she knows that Elena and Stefan are very likely to come sit with us since we invited the doppelgänger out in the first place. Her hunch proves very effective as the future lovers quickly hop over. I wave a quick 'hi' to them both as I feel my phone buzz. A quick glance down shows it's from Grams.

_From_: Grams

_Msg: _BE CAREFUL, THE CARDS ARE FOREBODING

I send a quick 'we're ok' text back before shaking my head. _I'm very well aware, Grams, I've felt this foreboding for the last sixteen years. _I turn my attention back to the table, resting my head in my hands as I wait for Caroline's interrogation to take wing.

"So you were born in Mystic Falls?" She starts.

"Mhmm, and moved while I was still young," he said, and I felt a chill go down my side as I felt his attention turn to me for a second, and I couldn't stop my eyes from meeting his. He was still giving me that look as if he was trying to understand everything about me from a glance, and I quickly looked away before my cheeks could heat up. _What, the man is pretty, sue me!_

Bonnie decides to hop aboard the question train next, but quickly regrets it, "Parents?"

"My parents passed away," he says softly, and god, his voice is _dreamy _and _sad. _Elena starts looking at him like the fact they both have lost their _parents _was a romantic thing. _Ew. _

"I'm sorry," she said softly, hopefully in a empathetic tone and not a weird lovey-dovey tone, "Any siblings?"

"None that I talk to," he replies evasively, but unfortunately for him, _I'm _here this time, "I live with my uncle."

"So, you have some siblings you don't talk to?" I ask quickly before someone else jumps in. His brow furrows as he turns back to me, as if he had expected me to gloss over it like the rest of them had. _Nah, I don't work like that. _Elena also seems surprised I caught that loophole in his words, unlike Caroline and Bonnie. They had both been around me long enough to know that I always could find hidden meanings in what people said. And thank god, cuz I'd need that skill when I eventually dealt with the Originals, specifically Elijah.

"Yeah, actually," Stefan says, suddenly very focused on me and making my tummy do adolescent somersaults, "An older brother, but we aren't on the best of terms."

I nod in acquiescence, praying that it removes his attention back to Elena. It doesn't. At least not until Caroline breaks the tension by continuing her crusade.

"So, Stefan," She starts with a flirty smile on her pretty face, "If you're new, then you don't know about the party tomorrow." _She's a genius._

Bonnie helps the poor girl out by adding, "It's a back-to-school thing at the Falls."

Stefan turns his 'romance novel' stare back on the charmed Elena before asking, "Are you going?" _Very smooth._

Bonnie, being the sweetheart she is, is eager to help out the boy if it's gonna make Elena happier. "Of course she is!" She says with a bright smile that could light up a dark room. A cocky smirk works it's way up Elena's face as she glances at Caroline's forlorn expression. _Bitch. _Suddenly, the baby Salvatore turns back to me, "And you?"

_What the hell? _I shrug yet again, and I feel like it's been my response to the entire evening. "Wherever my sister and the blonde go, I follow."

The soft smile that works onto his face makes my heart flutter, before my inner-bitch slaps me out of it. And with that becomes a not-so-great realization about Mystic Falls' situation.

_I have no idea what I'm doing. _

*

**_A/n: thanks for all the follows, likes, and reviews! Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter. Also, I have no idea who I want to pair Alessia with, this is very much a 'go with the flow' experience, but I'm happy to hear who you're routing for to be endgame!_**


	3. Three

**Nefelibata: **_def. _One who lives in the clouds of their own imagination; an unconventional person

Chapter 3: Okay, Let's Talk About Crushes.

As I sat up in bed at hearing my alarm clock, I couldn't help but sigh at my own stupidity. _Okay, so I chickened out last night since I got too tipsy, but after the bonfire I'll be on those Salvatores like white on rice. _I also couldn't help but doubt myself a bit at this act of rebellion. I might have had the brain function of someone beyond their years, but my pubescent hormones _definitely _made me a liability. My brain still acted like a teenager's, so I couldn't help but think that maybe I was just as inept as the rest of my teenage group of supernatural superstars. Maybe I should get extra help. But, the only person I genuinely trust to help me is my sister...

Bonnie would be strong enough to help me if I helped bring her to her potential, and even now, it'd be nice to have her when I needed help with the tomb. I would say I could use my Grams, but I knew I had to face facts; Grams was _wayyy_ too fucking old to be dealing with this high level of magic. It'd be all around better to leave it to me and Bonnie as ascending Bennett witches. Now, don't get me wrong, this isn't the first time I've knocked this idea around, I trust Bonnie with my life and I know if I helped teach her, or even taught her myself, she'd be a quick learner. However, my biggest fear was her using those abilities to effectively kill herself instead of asking me for help, so I generally stopped my thought process there. But, now that I thought about it, there was a pretty simple way to ensure she wouldn't commit to martyrdom.

_I could just bind our lives together. _If one goes, we'd both go. No people abusing our powers further, no doppelgänger using her grief against my Bons, we'd try our best to stay alive for the other. Not to mention, I knew for a _fact _that Bonnie would save me before she saved Elena in any situation, any day. So maybe, it was time to let the secret loose? I didn't owe Grams any favors, and Bonnie would be discovering her powers and having a subsequent panic attack over them after, so why not just rip off the band aid and tell Grams I saw a vision depicting the future of Mystic Falls afterward?

_Now, that's a **great **idea._

Besides, it'd be extremely hypocritical of me to say I'm protecting Bons by not telling her what's going on when I judge Elena for the same thing. _Well, that settles that, _I think to myself as I hop out of bed in just my sports bra and shorts, and proceed to make my way to Bonnie's room. As I look at her lavender walls and family photos, I almost wish we were normal. Almost.

A quick hop on top of the lump in between Bon's sheets and she immediately groans before sitting up in bed. I'm hugged around her waist as I look up at my sleepy sister, her dark brown hair strung out in all areas and with fresh blanket imprints on her pretty face.

"What the _hell, _Alessia?!" She whisper yells as she rubs her eyes before setting one of her hands on my fluffy blonde head. I snuggle into her stomach before I look up at her remorsefully.

"Bon Bon, I gotta tell you something, and I think you might be really mad at me when I tell you."

Her green eyes sharpen with awareness before she looks at me with a quirk of her brow, "Well, I could never hate you, Lessy, but the longest I'll be mad is probably a couple hours. I can't stay mad at you long anyways. So, what's up?"

My caramel eyes start to water at her sweet words and I squeeze her tighter. "Chica, I'm gonna show you something, so you believe me before I explain further."

My sister acknowledges my serious tone with a nod before moving her hand from my head so I can sit up. I sit across from her on the plush queen size bed, and take a deep inhale before saying, "You know how Grams has been talking about that witchy psychic stuff lately?"

She nods, and I take that as my cue to continue, "Well, she talked to me about it a long while ago, and made me promise not to tell you." I reveal a handful of bird feathers clutched in my hand and she blinks her olive green eyes at me, clearly confused.

"Are you hungover, Lessy? Maybe I should get you some water."

Bonnie starts to stand up but I grab her small wrist and yank her back to her seated position.

"Bonnie, please, just listen. I'm not hungover, and I'm not joking, just... _look._"

My witchy sister looks at me _hard, _trying to discern whether I'm joking or not, but all she gets is my unflinching gaze. "Okay, fine, show me."

I place my other hand on top of the one holding the light, downy feathers, and slowly lift it, channeling a small amount of my magic to pull on the feathers, causing them to swirl in the air around us. Bonnie is completely mystified, and starts waving her hands above and below the feathers as they spin.

"What the _hell is going on?_" She asks in a slightly panicked voice, and my hand quickly finds hers to soothe her nerves as the feathers continue to float.

"Grams made me swear not to tell you, believe me I did want to, but Mystic Falls is about to be in serious trouble, and you're the only one I can genuinely trust to help me, Bons. And if you don't want to help me, it's still important that you know this for your safety."

Bonnie's eyes are frantic, olive eyes darting from the floor, to the door, to the feathers, and back to me. Her smaller hand squeezes mine, her way of telling me to keep talking even though she's speechless.

"We are _very, very _special, Bonnie. Me and you, we come from a long line of powerful witches, spanning back over a thousand years. I'm telling you this because we are not the only supernatural entities in this town, and we aren't going to be one of the few for long. You've been feeling it right? Ever since yesterday morning, there's been a heavy, foreboding weight on your chest?"

My sister looks like she wants to deny it for a moment, but nods her head slowly. We've always been very open with each other outside of this instance, and it's reassuring to know she trusts me even after finding out about the secret. "That's because there are very dangerous people in town right now, and your magic is starting to awaken. That's why Grams has started bringing it up lately, and why you've been feeling so weird this year."

The brunette shakes in disbelief as she runs her hands through her hair in an effort to calm herself. I wait quietly for a few moments as Bonnie collects herself, finally turning to me with an air of determination and focus.

"You're definitely not off the hook for not telling me sooner, Lessy. However, despite all odds, I actually believe you."

I let out a sigh of relief at how _great_ she's taking this, and I can't stop the smile that works it's way up my face at having my sister with me on this. I should've done this _way _sooner! My excitement must've been shining through because Bonnie held up her hand as if telling me to hold my horses.

"But, before we get all hocus pocus, you _really _need to fill me in on what's going on in Mystic Falls."

_Well, this is gonna take all morning._

_*_

It did take all morning.

Bonnie took it much better than I thought, since I came to her and told her the truth. However, her animosity towards Grams grew exponentially the more she thought about it. Oddly enough, having me here definitely changed the relationship between the elder and the youngest Bennett. She had a very strong relationship with me, and because of that, and how we were raised, she grew to see Grams as an alcoholic who refused to take responsibility for her grandkids, just like our parents. Her drinking, her lack of honesty, and more importantly Grams making me hide something from her, all built up the animosity that had developed over the years and it was definitely leading to a confrontation.

But, she and I mutually agreed not to tell Grams that Bonnie officially knew about the supernatural status of Mystic Falls and our family line. I would start teaching her the lighter spells, stuff that I knew wouldn't overwhelm her body so soon after the awakening of her magic, but would also protect her. Also, considering I hadn't talked to the big bad Salvatore to negotiate retrieving our great, great etc.'s talisman, she would need all the protection she could get.

"Ms. Bennett?"

_Oh, shit._

I snap my attention back to the present and realize that the whole class is looking at me. I'm pretty sure I had a nightmare about this particular situation a couple years ago. _Maybe I **am** a psychic. _Mr. Tanner looks anything but amused and I quirk an eyebrow at the prick. "Lovely to see that you haven't changed at all, Alessia. Your ability to completely ignore pertinent information to your grade is astounding."

_Not as astounding as that giant stick up your ass._

"Thanks, Mr. Tanner, my talent generally depends on the teacher."

He glares at me for like 5 seconds before turning his attention onto my nearest and dearest sister, "How about you, littler Miss Bennett?"

She wasn't paying much attention either, but she had way more of an excuse than I did. "Um... A lot? I'm not sure. Like a whole lot."

I hear Matt and Caroline stifle their laughs and I send a playful glare at both of them. "Cute becomes dumb in an instant, Ms. Bennett," Mr. Tanner says snidely, and I'm vaguely reminded of Professor Snape. Except this time I'll be glad when he dies. I said what I said.

Mr. Tanner turns and locks his steely gaze on Matt, and I think this is like watching a massacre, which is funny because I'm 82% sure that's what he's asking about. "Mr. Donovan," he starts, "Would you like to take this opportunity to overcome your imbedded jock stereotype?" _Prick. _

"It's okay, Mr. Tanner, I'm cool with it," he responds very coolly, a slow smile creeping up on his handsome dimples. The class is all chuckles and giggles now, but I'm wondering why there wasn't laughter for _my _cheeky comeback. _It must be Matt's mystical jock powers. _Mr. Tanner mockingly hums before turning to our lady of the hour: Elena Gilbert.

"Elena?"

Her pretty brown head pops up in alarm, and I plant my head in my hands. It's super amusing that literally no one was paying _any _attention.

"Surely, you can enlighten us about one of the town's most significant historical events?"

He acts like any of us actually _care _about what's happened in this little backwater town. Supernaturally speaking, it's history was riveting, but the fact that the normal class has a section on three years of _really _good harvest for apples speaks to how absolutely boring this town is if you're not spooky.

"I'm sorry," she says with a slight shake of her head, nervously twirling her pencil, "I-I don't know."

He levies a heavy glare onto her tiny form, and I remembered just how much of a _dick _he was about to be to her. "I was willing to be lenient last year for obvious reasons, Elena, but the personal excuses ended with summer break."

The class is dead silent at how _awful _what he just said was. Now, you will not catch me trying to save the doppelgänger on a regular basis, but even though I knew Stefan was about to crack at him, no one ever actually called him out on what he said, in my memories, anyway.

"Mr. Tanner," I start off with a fake smile, "I have a question." He poised to brush me off, but I continued anyway.

"Was it your mother or your ex-wife who made you such an absolute dick? None of us got the question right. Maybe you should owe our ignorance to the fact that you're a shit teacher."

Mr. Tanner's seeing red, Elena's shocked that I said anything, Bonnie, Matt, and Caroline are looking at me like I'm nuts, and I can feel Stefan's eyes burrowing into the side of my face. "_OFFICE **NOW**, BENNETT!"_

I grab my things as gracefully as I can and with a smile I head out the door. I always have found it funny that teachers never verify whether you _actually _go to the office at this school. I quickly turned the opposite direction for the front doors before sending a text to Grams.

From: Me

Msg: IN TROUBLE @ SCHOOL BUT HAD TO GET GRIMOIRE

_Yeah, that'll do it. _Not _super _into lying to my grandma, but it provided a great opportunity to explain away how I'd gotten the grimoire in the first place. I _did _have to go do something witch-related anyway. Also, I wouldn't really get in trouble at home. Me and Bons were good kids growing up, so Grams never really got a good grasp on punishments. The most I'd probably get from this would be training my magic for an extra couple hours, so it was well worth it. Also, I kinda consider it to be my final goodbye to the awful douchebag. May he Rest In Peace.

*

_This place is much creepier in person, _I thought to myself as I entered the clearing to the old witch house. The sun was starting to set through the trees, and the overall vibe was ominous. I could definitely sense the old magic practically oozing from the place, but if nothing else, that made this place even creepier. I felt a sigh working it's way past my slightly chapped lips, it'd been a hell of a hike up here since I left Bonnie the car, and I was gonna take a guess from the lack of a warm energy that the witches were not very happy to see me.

_Oh well, don't care. _

I open the aged front door and am greeted with the smell of decay and mold. The main room is drenched in shadows, and I feel the temperature drop. My 'someone's watching me' tingles travel down my spine, and I slowly turn around, completely unsurprised to see Emily Bennett looking up at me coldly. _Huh, she's shorter than I thought. _I give her a mocking smile before I pop a squat on the remains of a rocking chair.

"Hiya, Emily," I start out, looking at my nails in a bored manner, "I'd say 'great to see you', but I'm pretty sure that _you're _the reason for my not-so-warm welcome."

She steps towards me gracefully before finally replying, "I can't find much joy in my descendants when they're plotting to release the tomb vampires." That causes me to furrow my brows before looking up at her.

"Hey, whoa there, I'm not trying to release _anyone. _My only goal is to get Damon Salvatore in and out of that cave so he can see that Kat isn't in there. The rest of the vamps are gonna burn in there." _Unless I'm feeling lenient, then I'll help Anna get her mommy dearest out. _

Her dark gaze remains steely as she regards me, most likely trying to judge whether I'm lying or not. When they soften slightly, I know she knows I'm speaking the truth. "Why must you align yourself with vampires, child?"

I can't stop the laugh that bubbles up my throat at that, tossing my loose blond curls back as I look back up at the specter.

"Coming from Katherine's bestie? That's a little judgmental don't you think?"

She looks momentarily surprised that I'm aware of that information before she glides over to the dilapidated windowsill, gently taking a seat and smoothing out her old dress, "It's because of her that I know what I speak of. Vampires are traitorous blasphemies against nature, and you intend to do business with one."

_Definitely not just one. _

_"_I'm doing this to protect my family. That's all you, or any other of these witches in here need to know."

She shakes her head with a rueful smile, and the old door at the entrance opens once again, "Be gone, child. You will not have our assistance if that's what you seek."

I chuckle as I dust my skirt off and proceed to walk out of this knockoff Haunted Mansion. But, I pause at the doorway, knowing Emily is still watching me. I shoot her a small smile before saying, "I didn't come for your help, I came to warn you and the rest of the dead squad that if you attempt to stop me, I will come back here, and I will burn this place to the ground."

And then I marched forward, following the smell of smoke and the flicker of light deep within the forest.

_Time to party._

_*_

By the time I get to the bonfire, it's in full swing. I must've spent more time hiking than I thought I did, because it was dark, and a lot of people were already drinking. _Gotta love underage drinking by a giant fire. _I walk past one of the trees when I'm suddenly tackled by a blonde whirlwind.

"ALESSIA! You're okay!! You didn't answer your phone at all, you bitch!"

I laugh as I squeeze Caroline back, "Sorry, Care! My phone died while I was walking home and I totally spaced."

After a few more moments of scolding me, Bonnie appears at my side, along with Elena. _Ugh, _I think as they both approach, knowing by the fiery look in her green eyes that Bonnie was gonna rip me a new one at some point, and by the confused look in Elena's, the doppelgänger clearly wanted answers as to why I valiantly defended her honor.

"Hey, Alessia, heard about what you did in history!" I hear as a strong arm is thrown across my shoulder. _Tyler. _And by his smell I'd say he's more than just a little tipsy. But, I'm thankful for any reason to vamoose out of this situation so I smile brightly back at him. As he looks at me, he blinks hard before shaking his head at whatever thought he had.

"Tyler! Awesome to see ya! Let's go get me a drink!"

His dark gaze brightens at seeing my obvious cue to help me escape, and he scoops me up bridal style before he takes off towards the drink table and kegs. I wave at a frustrated Bonnie and giggling Caroline as I'm sped away, laughing at Tyler's exuberance. I'm placed gently back on the ground, and my favorite guy friend quickly gets to making me a drink as I pat him on the back.

"My valiant knight in shining armor! Tyler, I owe you one."

He turns back to me with a warm smile and a completed drink concoction that's probably _way _too alcoholic for my own good. I'm a lot more thirsty than I thought I was after taking a few sips of the strong hodgepodge, so I grab a water as well. After all, I'm going to need to be semi-sober later on.

"So, you gonna tell me what that Tanner thing was all about, or am I gonna have to beat it out of you?"

I laugh again and wrap my arm around his shoulder as we walk around the bustling party, "Long story short, didn't feel like being treated like a piece of shit for an hour and a half." I offer him my bottle of water, but right before he gets his mouth on it, I block it with my hand.

He quirks a dark brow at me and I put a hand on my hip while playfully glaring at him, "Waterfall it, dude, you've been making out with Vicki Donovan the last few months."

Tyler's nearly black eyes roll right to the back of his head before he complies, downing half of my water down in a couple gulps before passing it back to me. He grins at me wickedly before saying, "Speaking of which, I might loop in for round two of that." That was my cue to roll my eyes at the goof before I remember something. As he turns away, I grab his arm and he arches a dark brow at me in question.

"Make sure if she's down to do the dirty, you get her out of here, the forest is no place to bang a lady."

Ty looks at me like I've lost my mind, "Of course. I'm not _that _much of a douche. Also, I ain't really feelin' going that far tonight. I just wanna get wasted with my friends and go home."

I nod with a warm smile before I reply, for safety, "Kk, let me know if you need a ride back?"

Ty salutes before turning off into the bonfire. _I'm so proud of the character growth in that little shit. _My bootie promptly turns in the dirt and I bump hard into someone's chest. _Someone's **muscular **chest, Jesus Christ- _My thoughts immediately come to a halt as I see who's broad chest I've run into. Bright green eyes pierce mine, and I feel my breath hitch at just how _pretty _Stefan Salvatore looks in firelight. Like seriously, he looked like a god.

"Oh, hi Stefan," I say, quickly regaining my composure as he puts his hand in his pocket boyishly. _**Cute. **_

_Shut up, hormones. _

"Hey, Alessia," he replies with a smile that would make me melt if I was weaker, but I was a strong woman so there was no way I had to fight smiling back. "Are you doing alright? Things got a little intense in Mr. Tanner's class."

I don't know when I started feeling comfortable enough to, but I shrug my shoulders at him, giving him a wry grin before taking a sip of my drink.

"Nah, I'm good. I'd be more concerned for Mr. Tanner's ego. Especially, since I never went to the office."

The vampire's pretty eyes widened hilariously as he coughed out his drink. I put my hands behind my back innocently as I wait for him to recover, a playful grin _strong _on my face. _How does he look attractive when **LITERALLY** choking?! God clearly has favorites. _Stefan actually laughs as he finishes, wiping whatever beer he was drinking off his mouth, and I actually feel pretty proud that I got the ever-so-stoic Stefan to laugh. At least, I was, until I saw a certain _unhelpfully_ supernatural brunette glaring at me.

"Annndddd, that's my cue to bounce," I say with a point toward Elena, and Stefan furrows his brow in confusion before looking where I'm pointing at the previously-fuming Elena. Stefan looks like he's about to say something as he focuses back on me, but I've already started dancing away, hearing "Complicated" by Avril Lavigne blaring out of the stereos. "See ya around, Salvatore!" I call out before dancing through the crowd.

It's a good thing I didn't turn around either, I think seeing the spark that flashed in Stefan's eyes at that moment might've made my heart stop.

*

I saw Stefan and Elena later on walking on the bridge. _Wow, they really made that gross, dilapidated, bridge with lights thrown on it look romantic._ Weird. Suddenly, I see Tyler marching off angrily from the woods. _Oh, no, I thought he SAID he wouldn't! _I immediately dash over to him, nearly tripping in my high booties, and I realize I might not be 100% sober. Besides the point. I grab one of Tyler's large, angrily swinging hands and he turns so harshly that I'm scared he might do something stupid that'll make me retaliate. But, his dark eyes soften slightly and his sneer lessens as he looks at me. I squeeze his hand and guide him over to a corner of the woods to talk privately. He lets me, willingly, and I know something must be really bothering him to make my normally hyped jock bestie follow me without question.

He leans against the tree across from me, and I take, as graceful as I can in a short skirt, a seat on the dirt. He promptly does the same, sitting with his feet crossed one over the other. "What's going on, big guy? Was it Jeremy?"

His eyes flare angrily at the mention of the younger Gilbert before he takes a deep breath. _So proud. _"Yeah, Vicki wanted to make out in the woods, but I told her I was hanging with Matt tonight, but she started saying that I was ashamed of her and all this other bullshit, and then that fucking pull pusher came and started acting all 'white knight', accusing me of using her and shit. But, I told Vick from the get go that I didn't want anything serious, especially since I was still reeling from-," he cuts himself off, his eyes widening before he glances around nervously, "Ya know, all the pressure from my dad."

_Poor guy._

"Don't you worry that handsome head of yours," I say with a soft smile, "Little Gil is just obsessed with Vicki is all. He's going through a lot, he probably sees her as the only thing that made him happy this summer." I'm pleased to see that Tyler is paying careful attention to what I'm saying, not retaliating or getting defensive, just listening.

I then tilt my blonde curls over to where Stefan and Elena are sitting and talking, "His sister is doing something similar with Adonis over there, neither of them are really in the right headspace for relationships because they're grieving and looking for a lifeline, no matter _who _it is."

Tyler nods, his handsome face pensive and thoughtful, before he looks up at me with a question in his eyes, "And Vick? What do I do about her?"

"My recommendation, tell her the truth and then quit banging her. You aren't good to go on the relationship front, she isn't good to go on the friends-with-benefits front. It's just not gonna work because you don't both want the same thing."

Tyler accepts the hard pill to swallow, and then turns up to me with a slightly tired smile, "You're _wayyyy _too good at giving advice, Aless."

A quick shrug of my shoulders and a smirk is all I give back, as I see Elena take off after Jeremy into the woods. _And that's my cue to move, but first. _I dust myself off as I get up from the ground, before extending a hand to Tyler. He looks at my hand doubtfully but takes it, and stumbles when I yank him up with ease. "Jesus, Bennett, you hitting the gym harder now or what?"

I laugh and shake my head, starting to walk over to the Salvatore who's about to get torn a new one by me.

"You could say that!"

*

Stefan smiles when seeing me, and I use all my protective anger to stop myself from smiling back.

"You and I got issues, Salvatore."

He looks at me, clearly confused at what I mean, and my glare hardens, "It's fine to reject girls, but if you _ever _talk to Caroline like she's some boy-crazy whore again, I will eviscerate you and use your innards to decorate the town hall for the festival."

Forest green eyes widen in shock at the _intensity _of my threat, but I meant every single fucking _word. _None of these pretty supernatural pieces of shit were gonna step on Caroline or Bonnie if I had anything to do about it. His eyes soften, and I see the sparkle of remorse in them as he looks at me. I nearly soften, but I can't afford to be weak to every pretty boy I see here, there were a shit ton coming! I promptly turn on my heel as I hear Jeremy scream from the woods.

I don't walk over, I know she's gonna live, and Vicki's definitely not in my list of Top Ten People I Like right now. Stefan's footsteps go quieter as he's walking away, while Vicki's unconscious body is carried out of the woods. Someone's eyes are on me and I turn to see a shocked Bonnie, her hands trembling as she looks from Vicki back to me, and I can see it _click_ when she realizes what did this. I purposefully glance over to Caroline and Tyler, telling Bonnie to take care of them both. Then, I turn off into the woods.

If I used that spell I read in Emily's grimoire, I'd be at the Salvatore boardinghouse in about 15 minutes.

*

Now, I will be the first one to say, I _love _dramatic entrances. I also like messing with people. So imagine my excitement when I got to the boardinghouse and the brothers Salvatore shot out of the attic window like a rocket. Like, seriously, _this was peak entrance material. _So I waited for a moment for Damon Salvatore to speak. His back was to me as he leaned against a hedge, but I could tell he was just as much of a gorgeous specimen as Stefan, with a bad boy edge, which is also very hot.

_It's gonna be so hard to focus when we talk business._

"I was impressed!" He said condescendingly, and I _knew _we were gonna get along fabulously, "I give it a six. Missing style, but I was pleasantly surprised."

Right as Stefan was about to speak, I walked out of the shadows, crossing my arms before saying, "Oh, cut him some slack. It was definitely a seven."

Two sets of bright eyes snapped to my form, one looking _extremely _worried, and the other being merely surprised. At least Damon was surprised for a second before he sped over to look closer at me.

_Whoa, _**pretty,**_** pretty **man. _Bright blue piercing eyes framed by long lashes, strong jawline, playful mouth, dark black brows barely covered by his mop of shiny black hair. Same amount of sheer beauty as Stefan, just a very different genre. Like Stefan is a Renaissance painting while Damon is a sex god, Damon Salvatore _oozed _sex. "Well, if it isn't the older Bennett, you're just as pretty as I remember."

_Huh?_

"Damon," Stefan said, his deep voice rough and pleading, "Leave her alone."

A dark eyebrow quirked as Damon acknowledged his brother's reaction. "I don't think I will, Steffy."

Then it was full-on vampire right up in my face. However, I was more than prepared for Damon to react violently, and I take the vervain soaked stake that I had hidden in my jacket and stab him in the stomach. His eyes widen as I twist it, before launching him back harshly with my magic into the shed behind him. Stefan is blinking in shock, and Damon is dusting himself off while trying to pull out the stake. "Come on, Damon, don't be like that. I already know about your deal with Emily."

Said elder Salvatore blinks owlishly for a second before he finally says 'fuck the burn' and yanks out the stake anyway. Stefan is looking like he saw the sky turn purple and rain raspberries. I'm trying not to laugh.

"Alright, now that _that's _out of the way, let's talk business like adults."

*

**_A/n: hey all! Thanks so much for the love your showing my little story, I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoy reading your comments and seeing your favorites._**


	4. Four

**Sonder: **_def. _the realization that each passerby has a life as vivid and complex as your own

Chapter 4: I'm a Weak Woman

Okay, now both Salvatores are looking at me like I've lost my sanity. Damon is blinking at me like incredulously, like he doesn't know whether or not to believe I'm real.

"Are you serious?" Damon asks, sneering at a piece of rubble on his nice shirt before brushing it off angrily. "No offense, _Witchy, _but I'm pretty sure you have nothing I'd want."

My brows furrowed, _Did this bitch just call me ugly? _Caramel eyes roll upwards as I do a big inhale, pinching my nose, "First off, rude. Secondly, I know exactly why both you Salvatores are here. Tweedle Dee," I say, pointing to Damon, "You, I can help quite a bit. As for Tweedle Dum," I look pointedly at Stefan, "I don't like helping when it comes to Elena, so not much I can do for ya there."

Green eyes become comically large as they lock on my form, barely looking like they comprehend _exactly _how much I know, and I hear Damon scoff, "Aren't you friends with her?"

Now _that _makes me finally crack up, the hilarity of the situation plus just how _wrong the _elder Salvatore is, officially breaks my business face as I bend over cackling. My stomach starts to hurt after a few moments, and I finally calm down, trying to wipe my eyes without messing up my eyeliner. Both are still very much confused, and it sends me into another fit of giggles as I bat my hand as if brushing away the thought. "Oh, I don't care about Katherine's double. Was I giving off that impression?"

Stefan has finally regained his composure and he tilts his head in an adorable manner, displaying just how confused he is by this entire situation. I don't blame him, it's a lot of reveals in the span of a few hours. "Wait, you know about Katherine? You know about what we are? How long?"

The baby Salvatore's questions are so soft spoken, like he's trying to keep his cool and not panic. It makes me feel a bit bad for springing it up on him so suddenly, but I hold tight to the belief that the sooner this conversation was had, the better. "Yes, I've known about everything, Stefan, I'm the latest and greatest Bennett witch. I knew when I first met you what you were, and I knew as soon as I heard about the wild animal attacks that your brother was in town. Speaking of which," I turn my attention back to Blue Eyes, "My great, great, blah blah blah sends her regards, Damon."

He blinks those pretty dark eyelashes before nodding in acceptance, starting to pace around the walk way. "Alright, what do you want?"

"Not much, but I'd rather discuss my plans with you separately. No offense, Stefan."

Damon's eyebrows raise in a flirtatious way and I roll my eyes, "Not like _that, _Salvatore. People that sleep with you end up in mortal peril."

_Ha ha, future jokes._

"Okay. Stefan, kick rocks. Me and Bennett got business to discuss," Damon says mockingly, crossing his muscular arms in his leather jacket, _hot _**_damn_. **It's hard to be a professional under this level of stress. Stefan's concerned eyes land on me, and I'm touched that the look he gave Elena constantly in my memories is being reflected to me. Very different when you're not looking at it through a window. He strides over to me with even steps, until he's directly in front of me and I have to focus _really hard_ to not stop breathing.

_God, he smells like peppermint and pine, oh boy._

_"_Alessia, _please _listen to me. You can't go with Damon alone, he's dangerous." His green eyes are piercing, causing a wave of chills to travel through me. However, my inner feminist will not be denied.

I shake my head at Stefan, "I go as I please. Trust me, Stefan, I'll be fine."

He still looks beyond worried, maybe a little angry, and entirely focused on me. _I'm starting to get why the girls all like you so much. _The guy is very good at making you feel as if you're the only important thing in the world with just looking at you. I'm snapped out of my 'vampire hottie' trance by a sharp whistle from Damon.

"Get gone, Clark Kent. I won't ask again."

One look at Stefan and I can see how much he's holding back. But like literally, his eyes were doing that veiny thing that vampires do, and a low growl left his throat. _Oooooooh my GOD, _HOT. I try desperately to calm my suddenly racing heart, and Stefan looks at me, veins and all. OH NO. I feel my cheeks heat up as he pins me down with his stare, before saying almost too calmly, "I'll be waiting inside. We've got a lot to talk about." Then he turns and walks back into the boardinghouse, grabbing a stunned on the way Zach and pulling him inside as well.

Well, I'm in trouble.

Damon chuckles, "Well, that was fun. Now come on, Princess, we're going for a drive." He pulls his keys out and starts walking down the driveway to his very nice blue car that I don't know the name of.

I cross my arms staying in the same spot, before calling out, "You want Stefan to follow us?"

"Nah, he'll still be able to hear the engine where we're going. If you screamed he'd hear you and promptly come running like the good little bunny eater he is."

I shrug my shoulders at that and promptly jog over and gracefully slide into the passenger's seat when he speeds over and opens it. "Thanks, Jeeves."

A sardonic grin appears on his face as he closes the door, and soon we're off on the road. After a few minutes, he pulls off to the side of the empty road and turned up the radio a bit. Ew, the 70s.

"That should be far enough, with the radio at least. Alright, Glinda, what do you know? And while you're at it, what do you want from me?"

My eyes roll for what feels like the millionth time since I came over here as I say, "My name's Alessia, use some variation of that. Also, I know all about how you're trying to get Katherine out of the tomb."

Blue eyes turn to ice chips as I bring up his ex-boo, but I shrug away the imminent threat in his gaze. "Chill, I'm here to help you get her out. I don't have anything against her."

A dark brow quirks on his handsome face as he grabs a blood bag from in his dashboard. And let me just say, that Damon in the moonlight was very much on par with Stefan by the firelight. But, because I'm a powerful woman I didn't even notice. He takes a sip from the convenient straw, before turning his attentive gaze back to me.

"Emily died because of her habit of sticking around bloodsuckers."

I laugh again, leaning back in the passengers seat before grabbing my cinnamon gum from my jacket pocket and offering him a piece. He shakes his pretty dark head and I shrug before popping a piece in mouth, and turning my attention back to the conversation. "No, Emily died because she didn't prepare for her habit of sticking around bloodsuckers. She always assumed Katherine had her back and they'd never get caught. Emily was a sweet girl who got emotionally attached to an unreliable person."

"Oh, and you wouldn't?"

"I keep my circle small for a reason, Damon. If I'm honest, that's part of the reason why I'm here. Basically, in exchange for my helping you get into the tomb, I want you to keep four people on your 'do not eat' list."

Damon, unsurprisingly, looks confused again before moving towards me suddenly. I steady a glare at him, fully prepared to blast him out of the windshield if he takes one misstep, but instead he reaches back into my jacket pocket and grabs the piece of gum I offered him from the package. _What an indecisive weirdo- WAIT. He's trying to intimidate me! _His eyes lock on me, and I feel like they're looking for some sort of a reaction, but Stefan was all up in my business earlier, so I'd just prepared for Damon to test that boundary.

"And you aren't gonna try and stop me from eating other people?" He asks, sounding like he's mocking me but from his eyes I'm guessing it's just his disbelief.

I tuck an out of line curl behind my ear and turn back to facing the windshield while Damon keeps looking at me.

"Nah, it's a pointless conversation. Besides, if I was a vamp I'd probably use the 'eat, compel, let live' method, but there's no way I would be able to avoid killing my fair share of people. Eternity is a long time to have the same morals, it's fine to shuffle them every now and again."

Now Damon is _really _looking at me like I'm an alien. Or at least he does for a few seconds before he chuckles, "Holy shit, you are one _weird _little witch."

_Well, **that's **rude._

He rolls his eyes back as he finishes his bout of chuckles, smacking the steering wheel in amusement. "Gee, you're gonna be fun to have around. What the hell, I'll accept your offer, Alessia. Now, who can't I have for lunch?"

I hold back a squeal of victory, turning to him again with a bright smile, "First one is Bonnie, obviously. She's my younger sister. Second, Caroline Forbes. She's the prettiest blonde in this town, can't miss her. Third, Tyler Lockwood. He's a jock, and acts like one. And lastly is my grandma, but if you are faced with a decision where one of us three Bennetts have to die, she's good to go."

Bright blue eyes blink at me as if trying to examine me _closely, _and it almost makes my heart race, "Why the hag?"

"She's lived the longest out of us. Not to mention, there's a lot of supernatural activity in this town. I might _have _to pick which of my family lives or dies. It's important to have that pecking order ready to go in case of emergency."

Pretty baby blues narrow on my form for a moment, clearly thinking and assessing the situation, before he nods and starts back up the car. As he pulls the vehicle through a sharp u-turn, which made my head hit the window by the way, he smirked over at me as I rubbed the sore spot. "Fair enough, little Bennett. Now let's take you back before Stefan gets his panties in a twist."

_Oh shit, I forgot about that. _

_*_

As me and Damon pull up into the driveway, I feel a sudden force yank me out of my seat, making me squeak. The world is a blur of midnight blues and browns when I find myself in a very nice bedroom. _Oh, I think I'm gonna throw up but what a pretty place to throw up in._ Like seriously, all the fancy duvets, curtains, the whole shebang. Shit, this isn't a bedroom, it's a whole _loft. _And so _many books. _As I turn around inspecting the room, there, leaning angrily over the corner fireplace with a glass of something strong, is Stefan Salvatore with his back to me.

What a pretty, _pretty _man. Even angry, he looked like a sculpture come to life, and I had to force myself to focus when an angry exhale left his very distracting mouth. _I need to get out of here before I risk it **all**. _Suddenly, he turns around, glaring at me harsh enough that I feel like I actually did something wrong.

"Do you even _realize _how stupid that was, Alessia Bennett?"

_Oof, he pulled out the full name._

I scoff, "Whatever, Stefan. I don't need your permission to do anything, you barely even know me." Like seriously, he's only known me for two days and he's scolding me like he's my absent father. This is the exact reversal of what Elena got in my memories. He was super sweet and gentlemanly there, they connected right off the bat and acted like lifelong lovers pretty quickly. So, why the _hell _was he talking to me as if I was an infant?

His green eyes flare at the latest poke to his anger, them turning the brightest shade of green I've _ever _seen. "You could've _died_, Alessia. What part of that aren't you getting? Damon has no qualms about hurting the people I'm around."

"I can clearly handle Damon, Stefan. Maybe _you_ should quit talking to me like I don't know what I'm doing. I'm _fully _aware of what you and Damon are capable of, I was well prepared for this meeting." His green eyes keep looking at me dead on, but I see a faltering in them.

"You _knew _I was fully ready for this. That isn't your problem, so what's actually your issue? Cuz if it's me doing secret business with your brother, I'm not telling you. I don't care how angry you get."

He shakes his head and I notice that it's not in its normally coiffed style. It looks like he ran his hands through it multiple times. Messy, shaggy, golden brown locks draping across his handsome face. _It's becoming very difficult to focus when the tension in this room is so high. _

Stefan sets down his glass on the table before turning fully back to me. He stares me down _hard, _like he's trying to see if I'm scared of him. I'm very much not scared of either him or his brother. They're the main threats right now, but in a matter of months, they're gonna be small fish in a big pond of hot mess. I stare up at him just as hard, but then a yawn works it's way through my rib cage, and I realize just how _long _today has been. Stefan's eyes soften slightly at me and he grabs his jacket.

"I'll take you home, Alessia," he says, placing a hand on my lower back to guide me out of the room. _What a sweetheart, but if I could just record him saying my name that'd be GREAT. _His gaze is still hard as we walk downstairs. And I get a little peak at the rest of the boardinghouse. _Very luxury masculine. _I see Damon sitting on a leather couch in front of a massive fireplace and shoot him a wave.

He winks back at me and tips his glass of alcohol to me, and I nearly choke on my spit. _Gotta be more careful around these pretty people, Jesus Christ, a wink almost gave me a heart attack. _I walk out the front door that Stefan is holding open and wait for him to direct me to his vehicle. He doesn't. Instead, he gives me a very insincere smile, in my opinion anyway, and walks over to me.

"Uhh... Stefan? Where's your car keys?"

Said vegetarian vamp puts his hands in his jacket pocket and gives me a look that borders teasing and patronizing.

"Oh, don't worry, we won't need them."

My eyes widen when I realize what he means.

"Wait, Stefan, _don't-_!" I'm suddenly picked up yet again and feel the sickening force of ten tilt-a-whirl rides against my stomach. It feels like eternity, but is probably only a couple seconds, when he finally stops and we're in an alleyway. I'm immediately tempted to put my still shaking head between my thighs to fight off the bout of nausea hitting me like a freight train.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Stefan leaning up against the alley wall beside me, a teasing smile on his face. I glare as hard as I can at him as I sit back up out of pride, and I see that the douche is trying his hardest not to laugh. He lets out a couple of those weird 'cough' chuckle things that don't sound like coughs, before finally shrugging his shoulders at me.

"What the _hell _was that for, Stefan?!" I whisper yell, trying not to gag. He looks down at me, straight faced, but I can see the glee in his eyes as he bends down to my level, his face inches from mine. _OH SH_**IT-**

"Well, you're right, I can't control what dangerous, _stupid _things you do, but I will take _this,_" he waves his hand around the area before gesturing towards me still trying not to be sick, "as my 'You Worried Me' toll _every time._"

I blink up at him, completely shocked at his teasing manner, before I start bursting with laughter. I can't help it! Who _knew _that the brooding, moody, serious, Stefan Salvatore could actually joke around?! This was a scientific discovery if I've _ever _seen one. Stefan then covers his mouth, trying not to laugh with me at just how _hysterical _this evening has been, but he eventually breaks and I hear his loud beautiful laughter. I don't think I ever saw him laugh _this _hard in my memories, and in a weird way it made me really happy that I could bring that out in him.

Finally, our laughter dies down, and I once again acknowledge I'm in some random ass alley. "Okay, Stefan, you had your fun! Now, where the hell are we?"

He smiles before extending an arm to the exit of the alley, "Right next to Mainline Coffee. I heard Bonnie while we were running to your house, but I figured you'd want to touch base with her since she seemed to want to talk to you at the bonfire. _Well, shit, forgot that I'm gonna get yelled at for a **third **time tonight._

I sigh loudly before pinching my nose and heading out the alley, but I stop before I pass Stefan. I pat him on the shoulder comfortingly before parting with, "I'm sorry I made you worry, but don't worry about me, I'll be fine. See ya probably tomorrow."

Then I left with a quick turn to the left, before I hear Stefan call out, "The other way, Alessia." I promptly blush hard and pivot, realizing I'd spaced out looking at the sidewalk and didn't look at _all _where I was going.

"I knew that!"

All I hear is a deep chuckle vanish into the air.

*

I seem to have come at the _best _time, because my blonde bestie was in dire need of a pep talk. Bonnie looked exhausted, so when I poked her on the shoulder, her olive eyes lightened in relief but also flashed a bright, big 'HELP ME'. I pop a squat in the seat next to Caroline and wrap my arms around her very drunk body. She looks up and gives me the brightest smile I've seen all day, cupping my cheeks. "Oh, thank goodness you're here, Aless. I'm having a s-hic!-self confidence crisis!"

I smile warmly back at her, pulling one of her hands off my face and holding it gently.

"Talk to me, Care, what's got you in the dumps?"

_I know full well what's got you in the dumps._

_"_Stefan Salvatore totally blew me off tonight," she says, cornflower wyes starting to water as her hand shakes in mine, "Why didn't he go for me? You know, how come.. the guys I want, never want me?"

My eyes snap to Bonnie, remembering she said something pretty cold in my memories, but she just says, "I'll get you a water, Lessy," and gets up to grab said water.

I look back to Caroline, who's looking more forlorn and depressed by the minute.

"I'm inappropriate, and _always _say the wrong thing. And Elena always says the right thing. She doesn't even _try _and he just _picks _her. And she's _always _the one that _everyone _picks! For _everything_!"

_I swear to god, my heart's breaking right now. _I can feel my eyes start to water at hearing just how _badly _she wants to be loved. It wasn't just the boys either. Her dad chose his new husband. Her mom perpetually chooses her job. And even in my memories, Bonnie chose Elena. She had to wait a _while_ for someone to finally be interested in her _for _her, and he happened to be the Scooby Gang's enemy.

"And I try _so hard,_" she says ardently, with more passion then I've seen from her in a while, "and I'm _never _the One."

She shakes her head, trying to pull her hand back, but I yank her into a hug as I sniffle. "You listen to me, and you listen to me _good, _Caroline Forbes," I start, and she hugs me back, tightly, "Elena Gilbert is small potatoes. We're stuck in this podunk small town where none of these boys have _any _taste. I mean look at you, me, and Bonnie. We're the hottest girls I know and not one of us has a boyfriend!"

I hear her watery chuckles and I know I'm winning her over as I rub my hand over her back comfortingly.

"These boys are just a blip on the radar, chica. They want boring_. Easy. Sweet. Docile. _That's why they go like flies to Elena. Us? We got fire, and we won't be tamed by just _any _pretty boy who walks into this shit town," I finish off, and Caroline pulls away from me with a teary smile.

"If I swung that way, I'd marry you, Aless."

"Shit, I'd marry me, too."

And as me and Caroline pull apart, I see a familiar body of dark hair and leather jacket walk out the door.

_Huh, wonder when he got here._

_*_

**_A/n: Hey loves! Thanks for all the love, it's really a powerful motivator for churning out these chapters! And to the person who asked, Alessia will eventually be paired with someone, I'm just not really sure who. I've got as good of a guess as you guys do. Have a great rest of your day!_**


	5. Five

**Ebullience: **_def. _The quality of being cheerful and full of energy

Chapter 5: Nope, Leave Me Out Of It.

Today was thankfully a very _easy _day to be Alessia Bennett. Nothing too serious was gonna happen today, at least nothing requiring my interest or interference. Vicki and Elena were going to be in the weird tug-of-war between the Salvatores, Caroline was gonna bounce back to her old springy self (hopefully, without a crush on the elder Salvatore, but if she liked him I couldn't blame her), and Damon was gonna be keeping his dickishness away from my Chosen Four. Really, things are looking _very _peaches and cream for me today, so I guess I'll be testing out a couple spells and talking to Care about the latest routines for the cheer team.

Oh yeah, and there was that weird candle thing tonight that I _still _don't really understand. So, guess I gotta go to that since Bonnie made it _abundantly _clear after our meeting that I was going to be attached to her hip for any further interactions with the supernatural. _Well, that was fair after all I put her through last night. _Speaking of which, Grams didn't even mention me skipping out on the office. All she wanted to do was see and touch the _legendary _grimoire, so I was completely off the hook.

I sat up in my bed, scratching the back of my pink satin bonnet, before glancing at my closet. What to wear for a do-nothing day? I grab some work out leggings and a hoodie, along with my workout sneakers before hauling ass to the shower. Thankfully, no time-crunching from Bonnie today, and I'm _really _starting to feel this morning. As the shower turns on, and I crank up the radio only to hear "Hey Ya!" on the first station, I _know _it.

_Today's gonna be awesome. _

_*_

I plant my cute little butt in my desk chair, cheerfully pulling out my history book for my _least _favorite class of the day. Caroline is already next to me, and I see her furrow her brows in obvious confusion at my attitude, before turning and giving Bonnie a pointed look. Bonnie shrugs her shoulders, her not understanding my good mood either, since both of us didn't get much sleep last night. The only thing that's not so great, is the song I have stuck in my head.

_Care-a-Lot, is a place we all can gooooo_

_Whenever we choose it _

_Care-a-Lot, is a feeling we all knoowww_

_We never do lose it_

I feel a harsh smack from Bonnie on my shoulder, and I look up to see the one and only Greek God, Stefan, looking down at me with a _very _amused face.

"Was that from Care Bears?" He asks with a warm teasing smile.

My face immediately heats up by a hundred degrees as I realize I must've been _actually _singing the song at some point, but in my defense, it _was _a catchy song. A soft laugh leaves me before I finally respond, "Wait! _You've_ seen that movie?"

He uses one of his large hands to comb back a few loose strands of hair from his forehead as his smile turns to a wry grin. Then he leans over my desk, looking at the top of my head for a moment, before gently reaching and grabbing a renegade leaf from the top of my high ponytail. I always loved this hairstyle because it kinda makes my curly hair look like a pompom. Green eyes are open and soft towards me, and I know he's accepted my apology from yesterday.

"Well, it _is _a classic," he says before walking to his own desk, and I can't stop the small smile he works up on my face. _What a cool dude. _And then Elena comes in, and that weird tension that she and Stefan have going on bounces right back.

If I wasn't in such a good mood, I probably would gag at their lovelorn glances at each other as class starts. It oddly enough reminds me of when I had a crush on Tyler in elementary school. She looks at him, he keeps looking, she looks away, he keeps looking. Like a game of eye tag.

I chance a look at Caroline to see how she's doing, but she's not even looking at them, instead, actually paying attention to whatever the hell Tanner is talking about. _I should probably do that sometime, _I think for a moment before shrugging the idea off. I'd pay attention after this douche canoe was dead and gone. Besides, Alaric seemed like the cooler guy to listen to, anyway.

_And cuter. _

Hush, brain. We can have crushes on a lot of these guys secretly, but we are _not _going the teacher/student route. Not to mention, the dude was very human, and that would _never _end well. _Oh yeah, what's Mr. T talking about again?_

_"_Originally discovered nearly five centuries ago, it hasn't been over Mystic Falls in over 145 years. Now, the comet will be its brightest right after dusk during tomorrow's celebration."

_Oh! **That's **what the weird candle thing is for!_

Suddenly, Mr. Tanner's eyes get that shark-like glint that usually appears when he sees someone goofing off, and his beady eyes glare at the forever romantic, Stefan.

"Are we bothering you, Mr. Salvatore? Ms. Gilbert?"

I have to bite my cheek so I don't laugh at how mad the old coot looks when they obviously don't care about being called out.

_Weirdos._

_*_

I'm walking alone in the hallway, when I catch Bonnie and Caroline walking my way. I quickly flutter over there, wrapping an arm around my sister's shoulder, but they pay me no mind as they carry on their conversation as if I was there the whole time.

"Wait, I'm confused," Caroline says with a shake of her head, "Are you and Aless psychic, or clairvoyant?"

My eyes widen like a deer in headlights and I nearly choke on my gum. "You told her already, Bonnie?!"

She gives me a coy look while she tucks a piece of her wavy brown hair behind her ear, "If you're allowed to have supernatural talks without me, I'm allowed to do the same."

_Very petty, Bons, but fair enough._

Caroline adds, "Yeah, she cornered me in my car this morning and made _flower petals _float in my _lap. _After I had a good ten minute flip out, she explained everything. Which brings me to me being mad at you! How could you not tell _me_, your favorite person ever, that you were _magic?!_" She whisper yells.

"I couldn't even tell Bons for the longest time! I just recently decided to break the rules since I could tell she was starting to feel some of the witchy ju-ju," I reply back, my hands raising in mock surrender.

"Which brings me back to your question," Bonnie gracefully interjects, stopping me and Caroline's argument from snowballing, "Technically, we're witches according to Lessy and Grams. Our ancestors were like, these mega-witches from Salem and everything."

I smile cockily, stuffing my hands in my hoodie pocket, "Damn straight, our line goes back over a _thousand _years. We're pretty much the blue bloods of the supernatural community."

Caroline stops in the middle of the hallway, looking like we slapped her. "Supernatural _community?!_ You mean it's not just you guy-!" I promptly slapped my hand over her mouth that was getting increasingly louder.

_Hope Stefan didn't hear that, but he's hopefully distracted by Doppelena. _

"Hush, Caroline!" Bonnie whisper yells urgently, before dragging both me and Caroline into the nearest girls' bathroom. A few girls are lingering in here, I think one of them is named Dana and I also see that bitch, Tiki, from cheerleading, but that's besides the point. I strut in front of Care and Bons before loudly clapping my hands.

"Alright, ladies, time to evacuate this bathroom and go literally anywhere else!"

Tiki rolls her dark brown eyes at me before cocking her hip out, "And why exactly should I listen to you, Bennett?"

I raise a brow at the obvious challenge. Girl world is _very _much like in Mean Girls, and Tiki likes to test the hierarchy that me, Caroline, and Bonnie have established often.

I walk close to her, and whisper, "Well, you obviously don't have to. Just like I don't have to let it slip that you tried to make out with Daniel McCormick at the bonfire. I'm sure his girlfriend would love that."

She gives me the stupidest stunned look on her face before she grabs her two other nobodies and exits the bathroom. Dana quickly grabs her stuff and I give her a small friendly wave as she walks out. _Nice girl, shame she dies._

Caroline let's out a low whistle before grinning at my 'mean girl' antics, "Damn, Aless, good to see you're still worthy of being co-captain."

I check the doors of the stalls as I let out a laugh, "I didn't get here by being nice." All empty.

Bonnie sighs, "God, I hate her. You'd think she'd quit acting like that after last year."

I shrug my shoulders. _Some girls are permanently twats. _But, back to business. "Back on topic, ladies. We've only got another ten minutes before we gotta jet to last period. So, the answer to your question is 'yes, Caroline', there are a lot of different supernatural breeds out there."

Bonnie sets her bag on one of the sinks, leaning against it before adding, "Vampires, werewolves, the whole shebang."

Caroline's pretty face is a hilarious mask of shock and slight disbelief, before it relaxes into acceptance, "I guess that makes sense, after all if there's one apple it would make sense that there's a whole tree with leaves, branches, and roots too."

I blink a bit at just how _good _that analogy is, giving her a quiet round of applause that she replies with a mock bow. Sometimes she's the smartest person I know, I swear. Bonnie smiles at her, probably super happy that Caroline is taking it so well. _Me and her are wayyy more alike than I thought we were. _Not to say that me and Bonnie don't have our very obvious differences, we do. I'm not very big on rules, she likes to follow them. I'm very much a spontaneous person, and I do things as I please, sometimes not thinking about the consequences. Bonnie is so kind and thoughtful, I don't think she's ever thought about what _she's _wanted in her entire life. We balanced each other out perfectly.

"Oh yeah," I pause, realizing something, "Does this mean you're telling Elena about the 'witch' thing, too?"

_Please say 'no'. Please say 'no'._

I think she sees my prayer on my face, because she says, "Not yet, it can wait till this weekend."

Then I feel a buzz in my pocket, and see that it's a text from Bonnie, herself.

**From: **

Bons 3

**Msg: **IM GONNA TALK TO STEFAN FIRST. WANT 2 SEE IF HE IS A THREAT.

I nod in acquiescence when I see Caroline check her makeup in the mirror, and then the warning bell goes off. We all look at each other, smiling, and I'm so glad that my main survival group is all on the same page. _Well, almost. _

Meeting adjourned.

*

Me, Bonnie, Caroline, and _ugh, _Elena are all sitting outside of the Grill. I sip on my orange juice while reaching for another of mine and Caroline's chili fries while Bonnie talks about the comet.

"Well, I was talking to Grams, and she said the comet is a sign of impending _doom,_" she says with a teasing wiggle of her fingers, "The last time it passed over Mystic Falls, there was lots of death. So much blood and carnage, it created a bed of supernatural activity."

I roll my eyes before taking another fry, "I'm _sure _Grams knows since she was there. The woman's old as dirt."

Bonnie smacks me on my shoulder as Caroline and Elena giggle at my jab. Caroline decides to pick up on my joking energy by adding on, "Yeah, and then you poured Grams another shot and she told you about the aliens."

I choke laugh on my fry as Bonnie tries to stifle her own laugh. We had all gotten into the habit over the years of making fun of Grams, so Bonnie didn't look at all bothered like she has in my memories, instead accepting the joke for what it was. Caroline then turns her attention back to Elena, and I take a _looong_ draw from my orange juice in preparation for what would happen.

"So then what?" The blonde prods at the brunette.

"So then, nothing!"

A fine blonde brow arched in disbelief as she rested her face on her hand, "You and Stefan '_talked' _all night? There was no sloppy first kiss, or touchy freely of any kind?"

The fuddy dud Elena replies, "Nope. We didn't go there."

"Not even a handshake? I mean, Elena, we are your friends," my brow arches at that, "Okay? You are supposed to share the smut."

I roll my caramel eyes at Caroline's shenanigans, "I'm really regretting buying you that spicy romance novel as a gag gift. I'll never be able to _unhear _you saying 'smut'."

She then squints at me, playfully glaring before turning back to the doppelgänger. Elena looked down at the piece of paper she'd been folding for the last few minutes, "We just talked for hours."

"Okay, what is with the blockage?? Just jump his bones already! Okay, it's easy. Boy likes girl, girl likes boy, sex."

"Profound," Elena replies snarkily, and it makes me wanna hit her more than I usually do. But, instead I swallow it.

"You know, Elena," I say, trying to speed up her _leaving _already, "Care has a point. Every straight leaning girl wants to be all up in that walking Adonis, I don't know why you're wasting time."

She looks down thoughtfully at that, before spinning around and grabbing her things from her chair. Bonnie looks a little surprised at her sudden movement and asks, "Where are you going?"

"Caroline and Alessia are right, it is easy. If I sit here long enough, I'll end up talking myself out of it instead of doing what I started the day saying I was going to do." And with that she walked away.

I look after her in confusion. _Did she forget we drove her here? _I raise an eyebrow at Bons and she shrugs, knowing Elena was probably walking back over here now. But she then looks at me with an obvious question.

"So, I need to run to the library to finish up that assignment I got in AP Lit. Can you drop Elena off at the Salvatores?" _To protect her, _is left unsaid, but I can practically hear it. Groaning, I smack my head against the table as Elena finally gets her small ass back here. Bonnie sets her keys on top of my head before she fills in Elena that I'm taking her. The doppelgänger looks about as happy about this as I do.

Finally, I grab the keys and sit up, a loud sigh leaving my mouth as I wave 'bye' to Caroline. "Come on, Elena, I'll take you to your boo thing's house."

_I shouldn't have said it'd be a good day._

_*_

The car ride was so awkward that I breathed out a sigh of relief once we actually got to the Salvatore house. Elena hops out of the car like her ass is on fire and I put the car in park. I'm not a dick, I won't leave her stranded out here with two vampires. Mostly because Bonnie would be _livid. _

I crank up the radio, and for about thirty seconds, I'm good, I'm vibing. But, that mood changes once Elena comes back to the car _way _too early. _What the hell, Damon?_

_"_No one's home, and the door is locked," she says as she opens the car door and huffs into the seat. I roll my eyes since I _know _they're both home, and I can't keep dealing with Elena without a ten minute break. I might crash the car on purpose to put me out of my misery. So with that, I kick my foot out of the driver's side door and get out, telling Elena to hang on for a sec.

I walk to the door and look hard at it, concentrating my magic on it before I whisper, "_Patentibus._"

A prideful grin works it's way up my cheeks as I turn and wave to Elena to get her ass inside. She looks at me like I'm a criminal as she strides up to me.

"How'd you get it open?"

I decide to run with the 'criminal' persona and say nonchalantly, "There was a key in the plant. You're welcome."

Her glare is adorable in the idea that she thinks I'm intimidated by it, and then there's a very handsome Damon Salvatore leaning up against the front door.

"Welcome back, Aly Cat," he says to me with a smirk, and I glare back at him, "Breaking and entering is a crime, you know?"

_Bastard. He knew I was here and wanted me to be part of the dickery. _

Elena jumps at the voice and looks at me, flabbergasted.

"You _know _this guy, Alessia?"

I fight back an eye roll before stuffing my hands in my hoodie, "We're acquaintances."

He puts on a face of mock hurt and clutches his chest like I've wounded him, "Aw, I thought we were _besties_."

I shake my head at his nonsense, albeit, _gorgeous _nonsense, and he turns his attention to poor little Elena.

"You must be Elena," he says, getting _way _too into her personal space to make her feel uncomfortable, which she obviously is.

_Amateur._

_"_I'm Damon. Stefan's brother."

His blue eyes are flashing mischievously, and I'm seeing in full swing his alluring 'bad boy' charm.

She blinks up at him, shaking her head slightly, "Stefan never told me he had a brother."

Damon then raises his eyebrows playfully, luring Elena into the mystery of _why _Stefan didn't tell her.

"Well, Stefan's not one to brag. Please, come. I'm sure Stefan will be along any second."

I, then, promptly turn to go sit my ass in the car when Damon pops up next to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and steering me back to the entrance, "You too, Lessia! All are welcome in House Salvatore."

I mutter, "Even the unwilling?"

He leans down to my ear and I can feel his breath on my neck, making my heart race. _What's with this guy and personal space?! _Then he whispers back, "_Especially_ the unwilling."

_Ugh, the man is a gorgeous vampire **headache**. _

He releases me, going over to guide Elena to the living room that's probably called something a lot fancier, like 'foyier', and she looks around at all the antiques and gorgeous dark wood furniture. _I should probably learn the different types of wood besides white oak._

"Wow," Elena sighs, entranced by the boardinghouse's splendor, "This is your living room?"

Damon shrugs slightly, and it calls my attention to his now very visible, muscular arms. _And can I hear a goddamn amen_. _Such pretty, brain can't handle. _

**FOCUS!**

"Living room, parlor, Sotheby's auction," he says nonchalantly as if _everyone _has these. _Well maybe in his time they did. "_It's a little kitschy for my taste."

After a short pause, he turns towards Elena, and I leave her to his mercy as I pick up an old looking book from the corner table I'm next to. I'm sure he won't mind if I explore while he does his thing. _Huh, a second edition _Alice in Wonderland, I'm jealous. I listen to Damon speak as I carefully lead through the aged pages.

"I see why my brother's so smitten," he starts off, and if I didn't know better, I'd say he sounded genuine, "It's about time. For a while there, I thought he'd never get over the last one. Nearly destroyed him."

I'd almost forgotten about how _stupid _Elena was gonna be for the next week or so... Well, moreso than usual anyway. Couldn't really understand why she thought she was entitled to so much personal info when they've only talked for a couple days. How very like Elena to be entitled.

She looks very concerned at the moment about this 'ex-girlfriend' of his, as if he should've been single up until he met her. "The last one?" The doppelgänger asks, confused for some reason.

"Yeah, Katherine. His girlfriend?" A shake of her head and her display of prominent worried doe eyes, and I can see that Damon knows he's got her, "Oh, you two haven't had the awkward exes conversation yet."

"Nope."

"Oops," _Liar_, "Well, I'm sure it'll come up now... Or maybe he didn't want to tell you because he didn't want you to think he was on the rebound. We all know how _those _relationships end."

Damon gives her a mischievous smirk and I can't help but smile. Damon the Dick was an absolute treat to watch in action, and the fact that it was causing trouble for Doppelena was just the cherry on top.

Elena boldly looks up at him, a certain stubbornness in her eyes that I'm well acquainted with, "You say it like _every _relationship is doomed to end."

"I'm a fatalist," he quips back without even blinking, "Hello, Stefan."

At hearing his name, I put the ancient book back down and finally glance around the room. It's weird seeing this in person, instead of the window of my memories. Stefan's face is set in stone as he sees Elena next to Damon, and when he hears the book hit the table, his serious emerald gaze realizes I'm there as well. We lock eyes for a moment, until his gaze turns angry and accusing and he snaps back to Elena.

"Elena," is all he says, his voice cool like he's trying his hardest not to beat the shit out of Damon. _Even though he'd lose. _"I didn't know you were coming over."

Elena just smiles warmly, walking towards him, and I can't tell whether or not she's pretending to not hear the strain in his voice, "I know. I should've called, I just-"

Damon cuts her off, "Oh, don't be silly. You're welcome any time, isn't she Stefan?" He then pauses before turning to throw a wink my way, "You too, Lessia."

I can't stop this eye roll, and start walking towards the entrance, fully done with the vampire boy drama today.

"I'll wait in the car. See you Salvatores when I see ya."

Then I walked out, unknowingly leaving two brothers looking after me, a bit stunned and a bit intrigued.

_Stupid pretty vampires. I'm not getting roped into your weird macho challenge._

_*_

**_A/n: Hey! So, since someone asked, I'm really only writing this story till either season 3 or 4. Clearly Alessia is unintentionally changing a lot, and I have no idea what that would do to any of the seasons past those. Thanks for all the love and comments, they really are super motivating to keep spitting out chapters. Have a good night! 3_**


	6. Six

**Arcane: **_def. _secret, mysterious, understood only by few

Chapter 6: The Candle Thing

_Damn, I look good. _After quickly dropping Elena off after she got the ol' cold shoulder from Stefan, and a power combat training session, I had hopped in the shower and found myself with some extra time. So I thought, 'what the hell, I'll straighten my hair', and now, we were here. My thighs aren't thin, they've leaned heavily towards being thick and muscular with all of the competitive sports. I have wide hips, and tiny tits. Is it my dream body? _Nope. _But I do love it for being unique. Not to mention, my ass looks _fantastic _in skinny jeans, which I'm wearing tonight. I stick with my regular black booties because, for one, they're only a couple inches tall so they're easy to do pretty much everything in, and two, they're _so _cute for fall weather.

I grab a burgundy spaghetti string top that has a cute little snakeskin pattern, and a jean jacket. But of course, I gotta jazz it up a little bit. Grabbing a gold ring belt, I wrap it around my belt loops before grabbing some gold jewelry and hoop earrings. My makeup has also come together brilliantly, and I'm starting to think that maybe this stupid comet is actually _good _luck! A dust of warm brown shimmery eyeshadow, a swing of perfect winged eyeliner, my skin is literally pristine, and my cheeks are rosy.

_Holy shit, have I peaked? Is this as pretty as I get?_

Well, if that happens to be the case I don't particularly care, this is pretty good if I do say so myself. I pluck at my now straight hair, and sigh happily at the amount of volume I've got going on. _Maybe it's time to dye it again? _I shrug my shoulders before walking downstairs to plop my butt on the couch 'till Bons is ready to go. As I pick up a magazine on the coffee table, I notice a certain Grams-shaped blur inching closer to me from my peripheral.

"Lessy, my girl, we have much to discuss."

_Ughhhh, I don't wanna. _

I still manage to pull a fake smile up as she sits in her rocking chair across the living room. She sighs before wrapping herself in her bathrobe. "How have you been, Lessy? These visions you've been getting, they aren't harming you in anyway are they?"

_Nah, if the memories **really **bothered me, I would've shaved my head and gotten a tattoo at this point._

I shake my head slowly, looking up into her soulful gaze, before pointedly saying, "Don't worry, Grams. _This _Bennett witch is doing dandy since I'm aware of what's going on. Can't say the same for the other."

It's Grams' turn to sigh. Me and her had gone back and forth like this recently in the last few years. Me constantly trying to get her to be honest with Bons, her coming up with a million reasons not to.

"It is not time. You _know _that," she replies, muttering a couple words in Latin before I see the fireplace light up like it has gasoline on it.

"Well, Grams, no offense, but it's been almost ten years, so I need to know if the 'time' is gonna happen before _I'm_ dead and gone."

She rolls her mature eyes at my antics before chuckling and grabbing Em's grimoire off the corner table, "You are _very _amusing as usual."

I'm about to respond, when a flurry of high heeled shoes thunder down the staircase, and in struts the one and only, Bons. She smiles brightly at me, "Lessy! You look _so _good! I told you that straight hair would look good on you."

"You look gorgeous, too, Bons," I say, taking in her royal blue and black blouse combo. Her brown hair is curled lightly and framed around her face, and a splash of grey eyeshadow makes her green eyes really pop. She also has a long sparkly necklace draped along her neck, and I can't help but think Emily's talisman would go better with the outfit. _Oh, well._

I then smile cheekily, "And as for my hair, you've got your chemical warfare for yours, and I've got mine."

She playfully shoves my shoulder before turning to Grams, and I watch her entire demeanor change. Now looking much more professional instead of warm and endearing, Bonnie looks at Grams with her glass of Jack and grimoire almost clinically, and for a moment it makes me a bit sad. It was never my intention to be more of a driving force between them, but Grams brought it on herself. Still though, if my plans went as optimistically as possible, all of my Fantastic Four would make it through alive, and my Grams was both consciously and unconsciously pushing the both of us away with all of these secrets.

"We'll be back before two, Grams," Bonnie says in a very controlled tone, but Grams doesn't even notice it as she takes another sip of her Jack Daniels and nods sagely.

"Be careful, girls. This comet will only bring out the evil hidden in this town," she warns.

Me and Bonnie don't respond, just nod at the same time before making our way to the front door. And as I turn to double check on Bons, I can see the gears tolutning inside her head as we get in the car. Those heavy thoughts promised that something interesting would happen tonight.

_*_

We've been driving for a few minutes now in complete silence, guessing by the direction, we were picking up Caroline first, and I was sitting there trying to figure out what was turning around in my little sister's head. She suddenly turns to me, green eyes very serious and somber, before saying, "I'm going to talk to Stefan Salvatore tonight."

For a few moments there, she looked like she was scared I was going to be upset with her over it, when my train of thought was actually running the complete opposite direction. It'd probably be for the best to have Bonnie introduce herself as a power player before the rest of the chessboard files into town. The earlier, the better, actually.

I can't help but smile mockingly at when I thought I was going to be able to follow the original timeline. Just my existence had proven to have a considerable butterfly effect that would most likely drastically change the future. Tyler wasn't a total rage cage, Bonnie wasn't totally reliant on Elena's friendship, Caroline had someone who genuinely cared about her, etc. Really, I had changed too much already to try and keep everything on track like before. Not to mention, I'd have to sacrifice the majority of my 'No Death' squad to keep that timeline, so to hell with that. If I was gonna mess with it a bit, I might as well mess with a lot and make it work in my favor.

_We Bennetts really do like making a mess of what nature intended._

I nod at Bons in acquiescence, "That's fine. After all, I'm like ninety nine percent sure Stefan wouldn't try to harm you, not to mention you know enough light self defense magic that a vegetarian vampire shouldn't be a problem. But, if you're trying to talk to big brother Salvatore, I want to be there just in case, capisce?"

Bonnie blinks at me slightly before a knowing grin appears on her face, "Capisce."

*

Caroline is as sunny, happy, and amazing as she always has been as soon as she gets into the car, and I can't stop the sigh of relief that Stefan's brutal rejection hasn't upset her _too _much. She talks animatedly about several different things as we start the drive up to Elena's, before gasping loudly, "Speaking of 'eye candy', can you guys use your witchy powers to find that _hottie _from Mainline?"

Both me and Bonnie blink in shock knowing _exactly _what hottie she was referring to. We both had thought she hadn't seen him since she hadn't brought it up before now. _God fucking dammit, Caroline. _

I shrug nonchalantly, like what I heard didn't bother me as I peak at her through the rear view mirror to gauge her reaction, "That _hottie _was a vamp, Care."

Care dramatically gasps and clutches the vervain locket me and Bonnie got for her yesterday. I also had her on a strict regimen of morning vervain tea so she'd be safe, but back to the convo. Her cornflower blue eyes were wide and she looked positively distraught as she asked, "Aless, are allvampires _that _drop-dead gorgeous?!!"

**_Very much so._**

"Emphasis on the 'dead', chica."

*

After picking up a 'more moody than usual' Elena, we parked our car up by the town hall, walking down to the park area and even I had to admit, the place looked _magical_. White lights hung in several aspens and other trees I don't know the name of, there were people starting to light their candles so they could pass the flame, a gesture of good will to our neighbors apparently. We all grab our own candles, and I lose myself in thought. _It's like a preemptive wake for the town of Mystic Falls, _I think darkly.

Our group waltzes up to Tyler and Matt, but Ty automatically bypasses the rest and just hugs me tightly. _Shit, I forgot to check on him. _He was probably feeling _awful _about Vicki getting attacked in the woods, that he left her alone. Tyler Lockwood could really be a sweetheart at times. I squeeze him back tightly as everyone looks on, Bonnie, Care, and Matt with some sadness, and the forever clueless Elena with confusion.

"You okay, Ty?" I ask softly, rubbing his back as he buries his head in my neck.

"It's been rough. Can we talk again later?" He murmurs back from within my hair. I nod and he lets me go slowly, like it's hard to. _Poor baby. _Then, Elena calls attention to herself, per the norm, by sticking her candle in Matt's lit one, saying 'thank you' as if he'd done it on his own. Matt looks slightly confused but rolls with it, and I can _see _the lovesick look in his eyes. _Double poor baby._

Elena then gives him a warm smile back, further encouraging the lovelorn look in Matt's baby blues. Then, she turns to light the next person's candle, but it's verysurprisingly _not _Stefan. _What the hell? Where's that gorgeous vampire hiding? He was there before in my memories!_

I turn to start looking for him and bump into a _very _familiar broad muscular chest, _sweet Jesus- _

Stefan's soft forest green eyes meet mine, looking absolutely splendid in _any _lighting once again, but this time it's the glow of candlelight. _Wait, his is already lit? _As I try to regain my bearings, a smile works it's way up my face at his mirrored one.

"Hello, Alessia. Fancy seeing you here?" He asks teasingly.

I feel myself flush for a second before looking literally _anywhere _other than at the piercing emerald eyes locking me in place, "Well, it'd be rude to be the only person in town besides my Grams to not participate, don't ya think?"

Stefan smiles a little bigger at my cheek, before lifting his candle up to make me notice it, "Speaking of which, you're looking a little flameless there."

I smile at him before rolling my caramel eyes, before moving my hand over the empty wick, causing it to light. "Thank you, but as you can see it's already lit."

The chuckle that leaves his attractive lips makes my tummy feel funny, and I once again find myself surprised at how _easy _it is to make him laugh and why he didn't do it more often in what I remembered. Then, in a moment of weakness, our eyes meet again, and his gaze is so intense like he has something he needs to say that I'm locked in. I'm about to ask what's up, when my thought process is ruined by an annoyingly familiar voice.

"Oh, hey Stefan," Doppelena says, standing off to the side of us. It's obvious that she's not a very happy camper at the moment, but she keeps the fake smile up, "Just the guy I wanted to talk to."

_Ewww._

I roll my eyes in annoyance this time, promptly turning on my boot heel.

"Catch ya later, Stefan," I say with a mock wave behind me, and I proceed to go look for Tyler.

*

K, so, I can't find the fucker anywhere. I walk into the Grill, glancing around to see if he's anywhere in here, when I see someone wave their hand at me to get my attention. My light brown eyes immediately link with an ice blue pair and I inwardly groan. _Another one? Did the universe decide 'let's test Alessia's willpower around the most attractive men to walk the Earth'?? _

I walk over to him sitting at the bar, and he gives me his signature smirk, "Hey there, Aly Cat. Aren't you supposed to be lighting birthday candles?"

I take the barstool next to him, and he compels the bartender- _Steven? Murray?_\- to bring me a double shot of bourbon. "To be honest with you, D, I _really _don't get the candle thing. Like I think I get the concept, but I'm not a hundred percent."

He chuckles mockingly as I take a sip of the bourbon. And let me tell you, that shit was _strong. _Lucky for me, I'm a party regular so I've learned how to control my facial reactions to bad drinks.

I turn to look at him, "So, did you do anything interesting today _besides _dragging me into your little dominance competition with Stefan?"

Now it's his turn to roll his pretty blue eyes, "Aw, come on, you know it was funny. I saw you smiling behind that book."

"Funny? Yes. Annoying? Also, yes. I don't wanna be part of you guys' big dick competition. Not my business, and I personally don't care about it enough to get involved."

A dark brow quirks on his handsome face as he turns to peer at me again, "What? You're not mad I'm being a dick to your little vampire BFF?"

I laugh at that and take another sip, feeling my tummy start to get warm. "Hell no, me and Stefan just met recently, and yeah, he's cool, but I'm not trying to be all up in your family business. I'm here to get you into the tomb and back out with Kat, and that's it."

_That's a bit of a lie, I'm in this mess for at least the next ten years give or take._

Damon smirks at that, bemused, and looks like he's about to ask something else when we're interrupted by _another _annoying voice. _What's with me getting interrupted by my least favorite people today? _

"I know you," Vicki Donovan states, and after rolling my eyes at my absolute shit luck, I notice the large bandage on her neck. I expect to feel something: guilt, shame, _anything, _but nada. I don't feel anything as I look at her drugged out face besides a bit of pity for Matt. Whether it's me feeling bad that he has _her _as his only remaining family member, or that she's gonna end up leaving him too because she couldn't control her urges, I wasn't sure.

Damon looks absolutely amused, probably surmising that Stefan _did _try to compel her and happy it was so _weak. _Vicki then glances at me, a disgusted look on her face.

"Of course you know this guy, _Alessia. _Wasn't enough for just your grandma to be an alcoholic, huh?" she says venomously, and I just raise my drink to her mockingly before downing the whole thing. Damon laughs loudly at my nonchalant attitude towards her jab, causing Vicki to look back at him in faint recognition.

"Well, that's rude _and _unfortunate," he says, sizing her up with his beautiful ice blue eyes, before turning back to me, the obvious question in his eyes.

"Knock yourself out," is all I say, and Damon's grin takes on a more feral look. _Hot _**damn. **_Now that's a look I want on my wall. _

Vicki stupidly wanders closer to me and the beautiful man next to me, and I wave the bartender for another drink for me.

"I don't- I don't know _how_, but... Your face," Tears start welling up in her eyes as I start sipping on my next glass.

She chuckles it away, wandering off towards the bathroom with an, "Excuse me. Sorry."

Damon watches her leave wolfishly before looking back at me, "You're no Glinda the Good Witch, are you?"

I laugh, throwing my head back, and I see him examine my figure _intensely _in my peripheral, "Good and bad are human constructs to try and dictate behavior that's conducive to the survival of my species. There's no _good _or _bad, _Damon, there just _is._"

He looks at me like I'm a puzzle he can't figure out, and I look him dead in the eye before downing the rest of my drink again. I hop off of the barstool and give Damon a pat on the shoulder, "Bye, Damon. Thanks for the drinks."

I walk out, feeling his eyes on me the entire way.

*

I walked around looking for everyone for another thirty minutes before walking back to the Grill. I'd totally forgotten that _that's _where everyone was when they started looking for Vicki in my memories. I walk in at the same time as Jeremy Gilbert, another one of my not-so favorites. We both approach the group table at the same time, and before I can even say 'hi' to the rest of the group, Jeremy starts spouting off.

"Hey, has anyone seen Vicki?"

Tyler's brown eyes harden as he looks at the younger Gilbert before replying mockingly, "You're her stalker. You tell us."

Jeremy gets more urgent, "I can't find her."

Tyler immediately banters back, "She probably found somebody else to party with. Sorry, pill pusher, I guess you've been replaced."

I see Matt getting more and more concerned by the second, while the rest of the table really only cares that Matt is getting upset rather than that his sister is missing. Well, I mean, Elena looks bothered by the 'pill pusher' comment, but not because it was rude to her brother but rather because it made her look bad.

"What's with the pill pusher?" Doppelena asks.

"Ask him," Ty quips back.

"You wanna do this right now?" Jeremy asks angrily, all his teen angst practically spilling on the wood table. Caroline and Bonnie sip their drinks, clearly enjoying the drama but not saying anything, and I can't say I'm _not_ entertained as well.

"Are you _dealing_?" Elena asks more pressingly.

"She's never gonna go for you," Tyler says, his gaze unflinching on Jeremy.

"She already _did, _over and over and _over _again," Jeremy replies cockily, and I scrunch my nose up at how _gross _he makes it sound. Sex isn't bad, but Jesus, this awkward situation was.

Even as Tyler bats him off with a 'yeah, _right' _the rest of the table is stunned that Vicki actually took Jeremy's very desperate V-card, and I'll be the first to say that seeing this get messier was _hilarious_. Caroline is the first to break the momentary shocked silence.

"You slept with _Vicki Donovan?_" Then she corrects herself, "I mean, Vicki Donovan slept with _you?_"

_Slay him, Carolineeee._

Tyler immediately states like it's a fact, "No way. There's no way."

Jeremy's glare turns cruel, and I prep myself for what he's about to say. I knew that Ty didn't force himself on Vicki in my timeline, but depending on what Jeremy said, he may or may not be walking out of here to find Vicki with a bloody nose.

"What? I'm better than some stupid fucking jock who's own _parents_ would disown him for fucking her, let alone being with her."

_Yup, that'll do it._

I yank my fist back and slam it _hard _into Jeremy's nose, and he falls back on the floor. Elena cries out and immediately rushes over to his aid as I shake my knuckles loose. It didn't hurt _that _bad, but punches were painful for all parties involved, one moreso than the other. Tyler, Matt, Caroline, and Bonnie are all stunned at my violent actions, but I can see in Tyler's eyes that he _knew _I wouldn't let that shit slide.

The doppelgänger is now glaring at me, "What the _hell _is wrong with you, Alessia?!?"

I sigh, and I feel Caroline move to my side, grabbing my knuckles and looking at me in what I'm guessing is an expression of worried, proud, and surprised all wrapped into one.

"Look, Elena," I start, glaring down at the little shit while blood ran down his nose, "You need to keep your brother in check. Talk shit, get hit."

Matt looks so upset, but I know in his eyes that he agrees with what I said, "You know what, how about all of you shut up and help me find my sister?"

I make quick eye contact with Bonnie and I can tell she both approves and disapproves of what I did, as we all start to file out of the Grill to 'look' for Vicki.

_Ugh. I don't wanna._

_*_

Tyler has dipped during the search, I'm guessing he forgot about our talk, but I'd get him tomorrow. In the meantime, me, Bons, and Care all sat at the Grill trying to relax after such a busy night.

"I can't _believe _you punched Jeremy, Lessy," Bonnie says exasperated as she sips her lemonade.

"I did what I needed to," I shrug.

She glares at me, but there's no _real _heat in it before she laughs, "No, you did what you _wanted _to."

Caroline laughs with her like a traitor before adding, "That's literally how you live your life, Aless, doing what you want when you want. You're a total babe, and I will never know _how _you're single!"

"I'm picky," I say quickly as we see the _flawless _Stefan Salvatore go and talk to Matt.

"Ugh," Caroline sighs, "It's just _so _much _drama. _Ever notice how the druggies are the biggest attention whores?"

Bonnie 'yeah's in agreement and I nod saying, "It's the daddy issues, chica, they're _powerful _motivators."

Stefan suddenly walks up to our table and I couldn't stop myself from checking him out if I _wanted _to. Which I didn't. _Pretty people make me weak._

"Oh, hi, Alessia. Heard about your hand, you okay?"

His eyes are so _green, _and _soft, _and _caring. _I wanna swim in 'em. _Focus. _"Oh, I'm fine, it felt _great._"

He shakes his pretty bronze head in mock disapproval, but I can see the amusement in his eyes. The vampire then turns to Bonnie and Caroline. I hadn't known if Bonnie had talked to him while I was gone, but by the knowing look on his face I know now she had probably put the fear of God into him. "Have any of you seen Elena?"

I'm too tired to be annoyed, "Probably patching up her brother's face."

The table stifles a laugh before Bonnie reaches into her purse.

"I'm gonna give you," She starts saying while writing down Elena's info, "Elena's cellphone number and her email. She is big on texting, and you can tell her I said so."

I was curious before if this would happen at all. But, whatever Stefan and Bonnie had discussed, she felt at enough ease to continue to allow him to know her best friend. Bonnie was a really good judge of character, though, so I knew that Stefan's broody, apologetic nature would probably win her over, but not this fast.

She passes him the piece of paper and everyone can see when she senses the presence of death with him. However, she powers through it like a champ, and continues to smile warmly at him.

We all went home safe and sound that night, and Caroline never got used as a blood bag by Damon.

A very nice night, after all, I thought as I went to sleep, trying to ignore the slight pulsing in my hand.

*

**_A/n: Hey guys! Thanks again for all of the comments, I'm so happy to see who you're shipping and what you think of my story! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed making it! _**


	7. Seven

**Sphallolalia: **_def. _flirtatious talk that leads nowhere 

Chapter 7: My Hair Doesn't Like Drama.

Today had started relatively uneventful. I did my morning workout, did some meditation to focus my memory for the next couple weeks, watered the garden, etc. really just a relatively calm morning. I also got a great laugh in while chilling out on the bleachers when Vicki told Jeremy _just _how much she liked him by saying that she just wanted to be friends. So, imagine my surprise when I'm yanked into the janitor's closet by a random arm.

The moment the door closes, I spin the assailant into an arm bar where I could easily dislocate their shoulder and shove the big motherfucker up against the wall. _It's way too fucking dark in here. _I have no idea who the hell this is under the cover of darkness. _Katherine? Anna? Mason? Which one of you fuckers is about to get some?_

"Ouch! Lessia, let go!!" I hear a deep, familiar voice whisper yell in pain. I immediately let go of him and reach for the light switch, flicking it on and glaring at him before repeatedly smacking his chest.

"Seriously, Ty?! I'm gonna beat the shit outta you! What's up with the cloak and daggers??" _I could've seriously hurt him if he hadn't said anything!_

He rubs his right shoulder in tight hard circles, looking back at me sheepishly, "Sorry, Lessia. I just really needed to talk to somebody."

I roll my eyes, because this idiot didn't know he had just started up the powerful gossip mill that was Mystic Falls High. Everyone and their sister was gonna know I was in the janitorial closet with Tyler for an indiscriminate amount of time, and I felt it in my _bones_ that I was gonna have to stay **_far _**away from Vicki Donovan if I didn't want to participate in a druggie rumble.

"Goddammit, Tyler. Vicki is literally gonna try to shank me when she hears about this," I say with a huff. I wouldn't lose a fight with her, but I wouldn't be surprised if she did a surprise attack and stabbed me in the spine. Or tried to rip my head off.

_Oh shit. I need to also be wayyyy away from her when she gets all 'bloodsucker'._

_*_

And so, we sat and discussed all about Vicki, Jeremy, and his parents. He got a little frustrated at certain parts, but I helped him through it with some of the relaxing breathing exercises that I found in several different anger management books. And so, as I started to wait the three hours before cheer practice, since I had gotten a free last period this year, I had a lot on my mind. After all, I still needed to decide whether or not I wanted to actually _see _Mr. Tanner die.

I really didn't care much about him, but how _little _did I care was the question. I could actually make his death painless if I was there, a quick wave of my hand and it would be like going to sleep.

_I think I owe him that much since I'm letting him die, after all._

Suddenly, I feel a buzz in my pocket. I furrow my brows at the message.

**From: **Eternal Stud

**Msg: **Where are u right now? I need help with something

Closing my eyes in annoyance, I wonder when the _hell _that handsome devil got a hold of my phone, before messaging back:

**Msg: **Damon? How?

I didn't have to wait long for a response, as my phone started ringing with 'Eternal Stud' flashing on the screen. I pull it up to my ear with a sigh.

"Hello, Damon," I say, checking out my '_desperately_ in need of a manicure' nails, "How can I be of service?"

"I know you said you don't want to be involved in me and Stefan's 'big dick' contest, but I might have something of interest to you if you do me a favor."

_That's a gorgeous voice, I wonder if he just woke up._

I hum, mockingly thinking about it, "I dunno, _Eternal Stud, _you'd have to have something pretty nice for me to say yes."

He chuckles at the name, "I totally forgot about that, _but _I have a pretty little necklace you might be interested in."

I pretend to not know what he's talking about, but getting that talisman was important so, he'd pretty much already won me over.

"Jewelry, Damon?" I ask teasingly, "You trying to court me or something?"

"Actually, _yes, _but only for pretend. Since you ex-nayed the pretty blonde I was going to use to get into Elena's circle, and I don't particularly like the idea of pretending to date a drug addict, I need a new 'blood bag' so I've chosen you!"

I squint in confusion before laughing, "Damon, you're cute and all, but you're not going anywhere _near _my neck."

He clicks his tongue before whistling lowly, "Shame, pretty Bennett, but _fine. _But, you can _act_ like I have been to freak out Stefan. You know, wear scarves, act like you are being emotionally manipulated by me since I can't compel you, etc."

I think hard on it for a few moments. I did want to get a hand on that talisman before Bonnie even saw it. I held no illusions that Emily wouldn't try to get the talisman destroyed, and there was no way in hell I was gonna let that happen if I could avoid it. Bonnie would probably be _pissed _once she realizes I'm lying, but I'd cross that bridge once I got to it. Not to mention, I would _never _turn down fucking around with Elena's head.

"Alright, Salvatore, you got a deal. How do you wanna do this?"

I can hear the wicked grin in his voice as he replies, "Well, you could tell me where you are so I can drop you off at cheer practice. I can't _wait _to see her face."

"Fine, I'm at the school library, but just meet me in the parking lot. You can buy lunch since you're the rich one."

*

And that's how I found myself sipping milkshakes with the bad boy eldest Salvatore.

"You didn't strike me as a 'cotton candy' guy," I say nonchalantly, sipping at my cookies n' cream counterpart. He throws a mock glare my way as he reaches into his pocket, dangling the talisman in front of me.

"Whatever, here's your payment."

I smile warmly at him as I take it, and I feel Emily's ancient power running through it. Immediately, I stuff it in my bag, which causes Damon to look at me in question.

"Not gonna put it on?"

I shake my head, peering into his gorgeous ice blue eyes. "If you ever take my advice for anything, let it be this. Witches are _crafty_ by nature, pun intended, so don't touch anything they give you for too long unless you _seriously _trust them. That's how idiots get cursed or possessed."

His dark brows furrow as he narrows his piercing gaze on me, "And you don't trust Emily?"

"I don't _know _Emily. I know who her friends were though, and that's good enough for me to be suspicious."

The elder Salvatore shrugs his shoulders at that, seemingly agreeing. Then his wicked grin comes back onto his pretty face.

"Aren't you scared that Steffy won't forgive you for making him worry?"

I get a little intrigued at that. That's the second time he's implied that Stefan and I were close, when Stefan hasn't even been here a week. Not to mention, there were a couple of other odd things I had noticed. That Stefan said I looked familiar, that remark Damon made when we first met, very _odd _things to say...

_Nope. Nope, refuse to even think that into existence._

Instead, I glare at him, "Me and Stefan are nowhere _near _as close as you think we are. I just met the dude this week. I dunno how Elena worked her emotions up to where they act like soulmates, but me and Stefan aren't even friends."

He stares me down hard, and I'm starting to think this is his Damon brand of a lie detector. Even though I know what it is, it makes something in my stomach flutter and I hate it. _Stupid gorgeous vampires are going to ruin me for anyone else. _

_Oh god, is this the start of my absentee daddy issues?! _

Damon interrupts my spiraling train of thought with a chuckle, "Fine, but we need to get going if you're gonna be on time to cheer your little heart out."

He slaps a twenty on the table before yanking me up by the hand as I try to speed finish my milkshake. I try to pull away as he drags me out but his goddamn vampire strength has a perpetually strong grip and I know he's barely trying.

"Wait!! Damon! They can put it in a to-go cup!!"

He clearly does not care.

* 

As upset as I am that I wasn't able to bring the milkshake, I have to admit that Damon's convertible is _hot. _I'm entertaining myself by doing that water wave hand thing that people do out car windows, when I'm suddenly slapped with a light scarf to the face. I yank it off and glare at Damon's handsome side profile, noting the very self satisfied grin on his face.

"When the hell did you get this scarf?" I ask irritably as I tie the dumb thing around my neck thick enough to look like a bite mark could be under it.

"Had a hunch you'd agree to my deal."

I roll my eyes. _No, he didn't, the liar. _Then, I remember that Caroline would literally _kill _me if I showed up in my regular clothes to practice, especially since I was running a few minutes late. Thankfully, I had spanx and a tank top on under what I was wearing already. A little more risqué than what I'm used to, but c'est la vie.

"Damon, can I trust you not to crash the car no matter what distractions may come?" I ask urgently, knowing I got like 5 minutes tops before he pulls up to the football field.

"...Yeah. Why?"

I don't answer, I just start stripping off my blouse and he suddenly swerves hard to the left, nearly hitting another car.

"_What the hell, Damon?!!?" _

"Sorry, not sorry, I wasn't prepared for an impromptu strip show!" He yells back before pausing thoughtfully, "Not that I mind though." He glances flirtatiously at my exposed collarbone.

"Not that kinda show, D," I say as I wrestle the rest of my unnecessary clothes off before grabbing my backpack to get my sneakers, "I don't want Caroline to mount my head on a pike. She'll be forgiving that I'm late because you're hot, but she won't be so kind if I show up completely unprepared for practice."

He smirks when I call him hot, and I see him sneaking peeks at my now _very _exposed thighs. The way he looks them up and down sends chills up my spine and makes my heart beat a little faster. But, thankfully, as I shove my things in my bag, we're pulled up into the parking lot.

I grab my bag, about to get out as I see the entire cheer team eyeing me with shock. _I can't believe it either, ladies. _As I reach for the door handle, I hear Damon whisper, "Showtime, Ally Cat."

A strong hand grips my wrist, yanking me back to him, and I turn to glare at him thinking he's just being a dick, when suddenly I feel something warm and soft touch my lips.

_**HOLY SHIT, HOLY SHIT, HOLY SHIT-!!**_

My heart is pumping a million miles an hour as his lips move against mine, and I feel his hand reach into my hair to pull me closer, before suddenly releasing me.

I'm shocked, I'm not breathing, my life is a lie, I feel tingles on my lips still, and I do the only thing I can think of.

I dart the fuck out of the car, trying to keep my blush down as I walk over to the girls. _HOT **DAMN**, THAT WAS GREAT. _I can feel Damon's cocky eyes on my ass as I walk over, and I shoot a minor migraine spell his way, smirking when I hear a grunt.

Caroline, Bonnie, and Elena are completely flabbergasted with their mouths hanging open. I smile sheepishly, "Sorry I was late, guys. Big date."

I take it as a good sign that Bonnie isn't immediately angry with me. I'm going to guess that it's either because she trusts my judgment, or she thinks I'm up to something. _Kinda hope it's both. _However, Care Bear is in full steam Captain mode as she walks up to me, giving me a quick hug.

"Aless, everyone gets two free passes for being less than fifteen minutes late. _Do not _use your second one _anytime _soon," she mutters in a sickly sweet voice into my ear, and I know I'm gonna have hell to play later.

But, I get the most joy from Elena's face. The mixture of disbelief and suspicion is _priceless _and I would happily pay the embarrassing price of admission again. Caroline turns back to the rest of the squad, and I can see a good chunk of them looking at me in envy.

_This wasn't that bad of a deal at all._

"Alright ladies!" Caroline calls out, "Now that Co-Captain is here, let's start with the double pike herkey hurdler!"

They all start doing the regular practice cheer exercises as me and Care monitor, and I'm not surprised when Elena starts losing track of the different positions. She hadn't been to practice at the end of school, and she definitely hadn't shown up for cheer camp. Not that I blamed her, but it was definitely starting to show, as she looked like a freshman rookie who had just learned the routine last night. Caroline kept up her lovely perky smile, but I could tell she was getting frustrated, so I decide to be the bad guy this time.

"Hey, Elena! Take an observation day," I call out, and she glares at me before proceeding to the back. I wasn't saying that to be a bitch, she clearly doesn't know the routine. And besides, she's clearly happy with the change of location once the god that is Stefan Salvatore heads onto the football field with the rest of the boys.

I take a slight sneak peak over at him as I'm moving around to correct the girls' forms, and damn that boy's ass looks _fantastic _in football pants. _No wonder Elena is so distracted__._

I see her wander off, and do nothing to stop it, because I personally don't care since she's gonna quit at some point this week.

_Not gonna pay attention to someone who clearly doesn't want to be here._

*

Oddly enough, Bonnie doesn't say anything about Damon. Caroline was bombarding me with questions the moment practice let out and we got to the locker rooms, but all Bonnie said was, "I hope you know what you're doing."

Her faith in me is heartwarming, really. After the subject of obvious interest had been worn out, however, Bonnie started talking about how Elena had invited her and Caroline to dinner to get to know Stefan better.

"Which is weird," Caroline says as she switches from her sports bra to her regular one, "Because she never said anything about them dating."

Bonnie laughs, "Oh, they're dating, but she's panicking because they haven't even _kissed _yet. Stefan is apparently taking this _very _slow."

_Wait, what?_

In my memories, they were kissing like on the second day!! What the hell was the hold up for this renegade Romeo and Juliet? _Maybe it's because Bonnie put the fear of God into him_, I think, trying to reassure myself that it had nothing to do _directly_ with my interference.

"Well, you guys have fun with that. I'm gonna get a well deserved nap in," I say as I change into my spare sweats, desperate to be in somethingcomfortable. But, before we all exit the locker room, Care Bear grabs my hand gently.

"You're being safe, right, Aless? I know you're a bad ass witch and all, but I don't wanna see you hurt," she says softly, her warm cornflower blue eyes warm and compassionate.

I turn and give a firm nod to both of them, "Don't worry, I have everything under control."

And as Bonnie lets out a sigh that sounds like it's been pent up for hours, I realize that me saying that I had it all covered was exactly what she needed to hear.

*

So, I'm sitting on my couch, trying to catch up on the latest season of America's Next Top Model, and waiting for Damon to ask me to pop over to Elena's to fuck with Stefan. Did I _really _want to move from my spot on the couch? No. Was I more than happy to ruin Elena's dinner party? _Definitely._

I felt the repeated buzz in my pocket and immediately pulled my phone to my ear, "Hello?"

"Hey, witchy, we gotta job to do," Damon says, and I think I hear the rumble of his car and the radio in the background.

"What for?" I ask, trying to sound confused.

"We're party crashing. Elena apparently has a little dinner going on at her house and _you_ are gonna be my ticket in."

I sighed as I sat up on the couch, grateful that my Grams went to that weird Bingo Night thing across town for the evening.

"You know that Elena is about as fond of me as I am of her, right?"

"Yeah, but Stefan isn't telling her anything, so she'll want to get to know me better out of curiosity," he replies snarkily, and I roll my eyes at his perpetually patronizing tone.

"Whatever, I'll get dressed," I say, hopping up and walking up the stairs to my bedroom. I hear the car stall on the other end of the line, and jump when I see said Eternal Stud outside on my windowsill.

"Jesus _Christ_, Damon!" I rush over to open the window for him as I hang up the phone. He smirks at me wolfishly before playfully poking the force keeping him outside.

"Mind letting me in?"

I shrug before walking over to my closet, looking for a cute dress to wear as I quip back, "I actually do. Dunno how I feel about having a volatile vampire in my home."

He rolls his big beautiful blue eyes, smacking his head back as he leans back on the windowsill, "Fine. But show me what you're wearing at least. I'm not showing up with you on my arm looking all frumpy."

"I never, _ever _look frumpy, D. Comfy cute, yes? Frumpy and ugly? Don't insult me," I say as I toss out a cream soft turtleneck bodycon dress that reaches about mid thigh. _Much better than that hideous ass scarf, anyway. _I tossed a magazine that was sitting on my dresser at Damon as I take the dress and pantyhose and start to head toward the bathroom.

"Entertain yourself, I'll be out in like fifteen minutes."

_Give or take._

*

Okay, so it had taken thirty minutes, but, it wasn't my fault! One of my gold hoops had gone MIA, and my normally very poofy curls were having a down day. After a lot of teasing, I got it into the high ponytail I wanted, and I stuck with simple makeup since I was on a time crunch. A bit of gold eyeshadow on my eyes and cheekbones, blush, mascara, and lipgloss and I was bounding out of my bathroom at breakneck pace.

Damon glances up, clearly annoyed that we were late, but his gaze softened slightly as he looked me up and down. _Don't blush, cheeks, or I swear to God I'll fill you with Botox. _"You look decent, so I'll overlook how late you are for our date."

Cue an eye roll from me as I grab my knee length brown leather boots and slide them on, "You're lucky we have some pasta salad in the fridge, it'd be super rude to show up empty handed."

*

Damon is the one who knocks on the door, and I put on a fake smile, clenching the pasta dish in my hands tightly. Elena opens the door, and immediately an annoyed look comes across her doe eyes before she notices Damon and the look turns more into surprised curiosity.

"Surprise!" I say, mimicking the compelled Care from my memories, "Bonnie and Caroline mentioned this dinner, so we brought pasta salad as a peace offering."

She looks like she's going to politely decline for a moment, before Damon puts on a charming smile, "Hope you don't mind."

I move to hand Elena the pasta dish to seal the deal, when Stefan walks into the room. Those green eyes pierce me _hard, _and for a moment I feel a bit bad about the pain I see in them. And I see exactly when that sadness turns to blame as he looks at his older brother.

"What are you doing here?" He asks, his tone controlled the same way it was back at the boardinghouse.

Damon grins mischievously back at him, and I'm taken aback at how _weird _it is to see this dynamic in full force. Like my memories were definitely one thing, but the tension was much more palpable in person.

_Ah, Damon the Dick is amusing._

"Waiting for Elena to invite me in," Damon replies in a tone _promising _trouble.

"Oh yeah," Elena says as she finally takes the pasta, "You can just-"

"No," Stefan interrupts, clearly trying to tell Elena with his eyes not to let his brother in, "He can't, um, he _can't _stay. _Can_ you, Damon?" _A final plead._

"That's a little rude, Stefan," I add.

He glares at me, but it turns softer as he looks at my turtleneck, almost pitying me. _Dumbass._

"We're just.. finishing up," he tries again, beautiful green eyes pleading with Elena to not be blind for once in her short life. However it's a plead in vain, because Elena's only ever been completely insipid when it comes to taking hints. Like when Caroline hinted that she liked Matt and Elena went on to date him the next week. Although, that might be just because she's a bitch.

"It's fine," she says with a warm smile, "Just come on in."

And with that, it's Damon: 2 and Stefan: 0. Damon adorably grins at his feet before stepping inside, Stefan looking more stiff than I've ever seen him and giving a weak glare to Elena who just looks confused. I start stepping towards the dining room where I see a blonde and brunette peaking around the corner, when I hear Damon's falsely polite tone say, "You have a beautiful home, Elena."

I hear her say thanks, happily, and I can't help the small smile that grows on my face.

_She's smiling after unknowingly letting the Devil into her home, how very like Elena._

*

**_A/n: Hey guys! Thanks for all the reviews and favorites! It's been super fun seeing where you all think the story is going and who Alessia and Bonnie are going to end up with. I can't wait to see either! Love y'all, and thanks again!_**


	8. Eight

**Acatalepsy: **_def. _the impossibility to truly comprehend anything

Chapter 8: Dinner Parties Are Surprisingly Less Fun With Vampires.

_Maybe, if I pushed REALLY hard, I could get this butter knife through to my heart_.

This dinner is not only awkward, it's unbearable. I'm not near as delightfully sociable as Caroline is, so I'm not starting the conversation, _especially_ since Elena was super rude and just put my pasta salad in the fridge.

_Didn't even set it on the table, the bitch._

Bonnie was looking on with a look of vague amusement, and I could see that Caroline was waiting for the other shoe to drop. If there was one thing that my blonde bestie _lived _for, it was drama, and the dining room practically smelled of it. Stefan was glaring hard at Damon, Damon was smirking back, and Elena was acting completely oblivious to the tension entirely.

_Well, I would literally rather be anywhere else right now. _

As I twirl my fork in the dinner salad, I hear Elena clear her throat, "Why don't we move over to the living room for dessert? Way more comfy than these chairs."

As we mosey over to the other room, I take note of my surroundings. This house looks exactly the same as how I remembered it, and the last time I'd been over here was for Elena's 13th birthday bash. It looked like the Graysons hadn't even been gone, let alone died. It made me pity Elena a bit. If I had to be around familiar surroundings that I had attached meaning to with a loved one who'd passed away, I don't think I could keep living there. I wouldn't be able to heal, and I knew from my memories that Elena never really healed properly either. She never quite moved on from any deaths that happened in her life, and there was a substantial amount.

_I don't know if that makes her strong or stupid._

We all start to take our seats, and I'm about to sit next to Bons when I feel a hand on my wrist pull me back gently. I turn and see Damon, and he gestures for me to take the seat next to him with a wink. _Don't roll your eyes... _I rolled my eyes.

_Welp, we tried. _

I plop down next to him as Elena comes in with cheesecake. _FINALLY! Something **good** at this party! _I can feel my leg start to bounce in excitement and Damon quirks a brow at me. Bonnie explains so that I don't have to, "Cheesecake is her favorite food. Not favorite dessert, favorite _food. _She's had it at like every birthday party we've had since I was five."

I happily dig in, and ignore where I am for a bit as I enjoy the chocolate raspberry cheesecake melting in my mouth. A completely blissful smile fills my cheeks as Caroline decides to do her awesome social butterfly thing and conquer the conversation. Smiling at Stefan, she says in a chipper tone that sounds a _pinch_ too tight, "I cannot _believe _that Mr. Tanner let you on the team! Oh, Tyler must be _seething. _But, good for you! Go for it."

Oh yeah, I forgot about that.

Damon smiles disarmingly at Caroline and I see her cheeks start to flush. _I don't blame ya, chica. _"That's what I always tell him," I turn to him with a quirk of my brow, not quite remembering how this conversation went down, "You have to engage."

His arm wraps around my waist, perching his hand on my hip, and I accidentally bite my cheek at the unexpected contact. Damon squeezes my hip meaningfully, clearly wanting me to jump into the convo judging by the intense look in his baby blues, but it also results in my heartrate rising.

"Yeah," I add, "Life is all about taking chances and doing things you never thought you could."

_That was a little preachy. But, whatever._

Caroline jumps in yet again, clearly glad that the awkward silence was ending, "Yeah, for example, Elena wasn't so lucky today," she pauses, coolly looking at Elena, "It's only because you missed summer camp."

I take a sip of my coffee at the slightly sharper tone that came at the end of that. About two months after the Graysons died, Elena had promised Caroline that she would come for the summer camp, since she was supposed to originally be in charge of helping make several routines for the upcoming year. Then, she bailed without even calling to let anyone know she wasn't coming. Again, there was a bit of leniency because of her recent loss, but she could've said something instead of leaving us with empty practice slots for the two weeks of camp. Me and Caroline had to work our _asses _off to complete those routines in time for the actual practice segments, which resulted in almost 48 hours of no sleep. And worst part was, she hadn't apologized, just saying that she forgot.

If she thought that Caroline Forbes was one to forgive and forget, she was sorely mistaken, but by the stunned look in Doppelena's doe eyes, I was gonna guess she _had _thought that. I hadn't been that bothered since I didn't have high expectations from Elena when it came to keeping her word, but it had hurt Caroline.

Bonnie must have had a similar train of thought as her gaze flickered back and forth between Care and Elena, before looking at me with a look that said plain and simple, _yikes. _Of course, the two vampire brothers were confused as to what the new sudden tension in the room was, but when Elena rolled her eyes and muttered 'whatever', I knew that my favorite Queen Bee was gonna snap at her.

Still feigning polite conversation, Caroline crossed her legs as her cornflower blue eyes got steely. Now, let me tell you, this is personally my _favorite _version of my perky blonde hurricane to witness. She was an expert at the inner workings of Girl World, and knew exactly what to say to make her point, or threat, come across loud and clear. Elena's sudden jab of disrespect was about to call in a whole tropical storm, because Care wasn't scared of making her look bad in front of the Salvatores.

"God," she started in a falsely sweet tone that would sound nearly genuine if you didn't know her well, "I don't know how you're ever gonna learn the routines."

I noticed that Bonnie hadn't said anything to defend Elena, but I guess that in this timeline, Bons understood that her bestie had invoked this mess with her other friend. Not to mention, Bonnie also had to pick up the slack during camp, and I knew that she'd already scolded Elena about it but that didn't excuse her lack of apology to Care. Said blonde looked up in mock thought, "I guess we could put you in the back."

I could see the hidden smirk on Damon's lips, and the frown on Stefan's.

"You don't seem like the cheerleader type, Elena," Damon adds, and I see from the sparkle in his eyes that he enjoyed watching the turmoil in this group.

I decide to interject before Caroline can say something she'll regret, "Well, she used to be a party animal, but you know, things change."

Elena glares hard at me, and I can't help but wonder why she's so pissy at me today. Was it cause I made her take an observation day? Actually, I can see how what I said could come off, but it was unintentional.

"My _parents _died, Alessia," she says in a deadly tone.

I sip my coffee for a moment, watching everyone's reactions at how obvious her dislike for me was. "Never said they didn't, Elena. I was referring to your personality," I retort in a blasé tone, clearly already bored of talking to her.

"I know what it's like to lose both your parents," Damon interjects, and I see the doppelgänger's face completely switch over to a warm smile towards him. If he was actually my boyfriend, I'd be questioning the _hell _out of that look. _I wonder if Stefan is._

"In fact, Stefan and I have watched almost every single person we've ever cared about die."

Stefan's forest green eyes sharpen, "We don't need to get into that right now, Damon."

_Is this how politicians feel at those fancy dinners? Everything being said at this table is either a veiled threat or a slighted comment._

Damon has his signature grin on his face as he sighs, "Ah, you know what, you're right, Stef, I'm sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was bring _her _up."

I can tell by the matching looks of intrigue on every other girl's face that we all had the same thought.

_The drama is about to get juicy in this group. _

_*_

Okay, I was wrong. Things just got awful quiet again and I resumed debating how hard I'd have to smack my head against the table to knock myself out for thirty minutes so that we could leave. Damon had just gotten up to bother Elena in the kitchen, and Bonnie and Caroline were tidying up the dining room when the younger Salvatore took a seat across from me.

"Hello, Alessia," he starts. His voice was soothing, as if trying to placate me before I was even upset.

"Hey, Stefan," I reply quietly, "I'd ask how you're doing, but judging by the wrinkles on your forehead I can guess what your answer will be."

"Would you mind telling me what the _hell _you're doing with Damon? I warned you. He's _dangerous._"

I frown slightly at his bossy tone, "And I told _you _I'll do as I see fit."

He scoots closer to me, grabbing my hand, "_Please_, Alessia," his beautiful forest green eyes pleading and his jaw tight, "Is he blackmailing you? I just want to help."

I slowly pull my hand back from his strong grip, ignoring the butterflies that his touch illicited, "Stefan, I'm fine. Damon's not as bad as you think he is."

_Yes, he is. _

"Then, why are you wearing that turtleneck?"

I pretend to grab at my neck nervously, touching a bite mark that doesn't exist. "It doesn't matter, Stefan. My business with your brother has _nothing _to do with you. Do your weird happily ever after with Elena and quit trying to stick your nose where it's not wanted."

The sudden flint of steely determination in his eyes is _exactly _the reaction I was trying to illicit. I feel a dip in the couch on the other side of me, and my eyes are greeted with the beauty that is Damon Salvatore.

"Well, isn't this a fun little therapy session. Anything specific you needed to ask my girlfriend, Stefan?"

His blue eyes are cold and cunning, and I feel _very _uncomfortable sitting in between their stare down.

_This is EXACTLY where I didn't want to be during this shitshow, but now here I am with a front row seat to the big dick contest._

"You need to stop this, Damon," Stefan says resolutely, but I know there's no actual bite to it. I wonder, if I had actually been in danger like Care was, would he have let me be abused like he had let her? _Probably. _

Stefan doesn't have the strongest of anything when it comes to his brother. His will was weaker, and because of his bunny bloodshed, he was weaker physically as well. But, I had always guessed it was because deep down, Stefan still loved his older brother and didn't want to hurt him.. _badly. _At least not yet, anyway.

Damon turns to me, before smiling, "Hey, sweetie, mind helping out the girls in the kitchen?"

_Gladly! _I stand up to leave and gracefully exit the living room as quickly as possible with my dishes. As fun as it was to see them fight sometimes, I had no desire to keep the momentum going.

*

It was officially Saturday, and the first big celebration of the season, so I was _pumped. _Yeah, at first I had been a cheerleader so I could keep a close eye on my group of friends, but I had quickly grown to love the energy that came with it.

A person's life force practically vibrates when they're excited, and a large crowd of them made nature sing. As a witch, that kind of momentous energy was quickly addicting and I grew very attached to my sport. The pompoms, the cute outfits, the general adoration that came with being co captain, really, it was so much fun that it made _football_ not boring for me. I excitedly wiggled into my cheer uniform, grabbing my white sneakers off my blanket.

"Bonnie!" I called out into the hallway, and I heard a faint 'yeah' from the bathroom, "Have you seen my red glitter scrunchie?!"

There was a pause, and I flipped open my backpack, dumping the contents out to see if it was in there instead.

"Uh, yeah, I was gonna just borrow it for today!" She yells back, and I puff my cheeks in annoyance.

"Seriously, Bons?!"

"Well, yeah! Don't you have that red steamer one, anyway?!"

I rolled my eyes before grabbing the red streamer scrunchie from the top of my dresser. Looking at the collateral damage the search did to my room, I stifle a sigh before flopping in my bean bag chair and pulling on my white socks. _Fine, I'll borrow her grey heels for my presentation on Monday and we'll be even._

I hear Bons' feet dash down the stairs before she calls up, "Lessy! Hurry the hell up or we're gonna be late!"

Finishing the knot I had been tying on my right sneaker, I hop up, "Bons, you're running late, too! _I'm_ not why we're late!!"

My feet fly down in a flurry and I kiss my Grams on the cheek as I sprint out to my sister, who had apparently already walked out the door.

"Bye, Grams, don't burn the house down!" And with that I slide into the passenger seat seconds before Bons tears out of the driveway like a bat out of hell. I quickly buckle my seatbelt and smack my head against the door as she makes a sharp turn.

"_Goddammit, _Bons!"

"Sorry, Lessy," is all she manages to gasp out, and when we look at each other, we just burst out laughing.

_This is what I'm fighting for._

_*_

When me and Bons finally get to the bonfire area, there's a western standoff going on in front of the pyre. Caroline is glaring _fiercely_ at an out-of-uniform Elena, and Elena is looking at Caroline with slight nervousness. Bonnie gasps when she realizes that Elena has _once again_ not mentioned to anyone that she wasn't participating until the last minute. I wouldn't be surprised if Caroline attacked her.

"You have _got _to be kidding me, Elena!" Bonnie sighs, disappointedly as we walk up to the warring two. I roll my eyes, not only not surprised because I saw this happen before, but because it was Elena fucking Gilbert, breaker of _many _promises.

"I'm sorry, Bonnie, but cheerleading doesn't make me happy anymore. If you're really my friend, you'll understand that I had to do this for me."

_And only apologizing to Bonnie. Wow._

Bonnie is starting to look frustrated as she furrows her thin brows, "It's not _about _you quitting, Elena. It's that you decided to wait till last minute to tell anyone!"

"_Again," _I added, and surprising no one, I'm the only one who gets a glare.

"Whatever," is all Caroline says, brushing it off and placing her professional smile on Elena, "It was a pleasure having you on the team, and I hope you're successful in all your other endeavors. Like trying to get your boyfriend to kiss you."

_**GODDAMN **SOMEONE CALL 911._

With that, the blonde tornado whirls away, and I promptly turn to join her, not really wanting to see Bonnie tear Elena a new one. Instead, we walk over to the rest of the squad and announce Elena's retirement from cheer before getting them started on passing out fliers and generally sending them off to different areas in threes so they can get the crowd hyped up.

By the time night falls, we've gotten the entire school worked up into a frenzy. _Damn, we're **good**. _There's drinking, tailgates are down, the enemy team's dummy is on fire, and life is great. We had the girls pass out cheap pompoms from the local party store, along with whistles, and party poppers, so by the time Mr. Tanner got the football team lined up and was preparing to do his speech, he had a high school on _fire _for their losing streak team.

_Oh yeah, that reminds me. Mr. Tanner is going to die. _

Bonnie had come to me this morning talking about the numbers she saw, and I told her that I had hoped that it meant that those number football players would win us the upcoming game. She didn't look like she _really_ bought it, but she had believed me.

There was nothing enjoyable about lying to her about that, but it had to be done. Mr. Tanner had to get gone one way or another so that Alaric could come, and if the kindest way to let the prick go was by giving him a painless death, then alright.

_Bonnie is gonna be **mad **when she finds out that Damon did that, though._

Bons was definitely not a fan of Mr. Tanner, but that didn't mean she wanted to see him dead. I didn't really want to know how she'd react if she found out about this, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

_Actually... I could avoid it altogether if no one can find the body. _

I smiled. There's the ticket.

Mr. Tanner proceeded to walk onto the podium, and me and the girls set out to maintain the hype, twirling our pompoms, doing high kicks, the occasional jumping splits. The boys were all looking fine as _hell _in their jerseys, especially one Stefan Salvatore. I hadn't noticed just how broad his shoulders were until I saw him wearing that, and I spiritually salivated.

_Ooooooh boy, do I **love** a man in uniform. _

"Quiet down, quiet down," Mr. T started saying into the mic, to little effect. He tried again, and slowly the crowd descended into a loud murmur instead of just shouting.

"Wait. Now let's be honest here. In the past, we used to let other teams come into _our _town and roll right over us!" Cue the booing that our girls started, "But that is about to change!" Cue the cheering.

"We've got some great new talent," one could say, _supernaturally _good, "starting tonight in the offensive line, and I'm gonna tell you right now, it has been a _long _time since I have seen a kid like this with hands like _these_." I chuckle for a second at him calling Stefan a kid, when I catch a glimpse of the darkening fury on Tyler's face.

_Oh, shit._

_"_LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR STEFAN SALVATORE!"

I cheer, but I don't look away from Tyler, seeing his shoulders move from his heavy breathing from all the way over here was _not _a good sign. I don't listen to the rest of whatever the hell Tanner is spewing, I just tap Bonnie and Care on the shoulder to let them know I'm leaving and start following after my angry werewolf friend.

I try dipping through the crowd as quickly as possible, seeing Tyler moving towards Jeremy with purpose as Vicki tries to stop him. Tyler says something, gets hit, then swings and socks Jeremy right in the face before diving for more. _Well, that can't help his already busted looking nose._

I run for Tyler as a crowd starts forming and tackle him off of Jeremy. He starts thrashing underneath me, trying to get back to rocking Gilbert's shit, before he realizes it's me. "Alessia?" He whispers, wide eyed. Suddenly, his eyes frantically look behind me.

"_Alessia, move!!" _He yells and I turn to see Jeremy about to slash me with a broken bottle. _Oh shi-!_

Jeremy's hand is stopped by Stefan grabbing the glass. It shatters, and he shoves Jeremy away. Tyler is suddenly helping me up, pulling down my cheer skirt that had ridden up after tackling him, but I can't look away from Stefan. He had still gotten his hand cut, and Elena was still freaking out about it, but his soulful green eyes were on _me. _Filled with worry, frustration, and anger. I look down and see that he's looking at my banged up knees.

I'm guessing that the druggies has been throwing their bottles around, because I felt tiny shards of glass sticking out of my skin painfully. Veins start to appear under his eyes, so I quickly whisper a spell to cut off his sense of smell momentarily. He quickly snaps himself out of it, giving me a quick nod of reassurance before turning back to Doppelena who was trying to look at his hand. And when she opened it to reveal no cut, she was stunned.

_Well, that got real intense, real quickly._

_*_

**_A/n: Thanks for all the love and comments! Hope you enjoyed!_**


	9. Nine

**Morosis: **_def. _the stupidest of stupidity 

Chapter 9: Fuck the Gilberts.

So, I had been taken out of commission for the first game of the season after having glass decorate the inside of my knees. Needless to say, I'm more than a little pissed off about it. "Stupid fucking Gilbert," I mutter as Bonnie uses a pair of tweezers to dig out the remaining glass.

She laughs, "You don't blame Tyler?"

"Oh," I say angrily, "Tyler's getting an ass kicking from me at a later date. He knows how much I love these things, and he's probably expecting my foot up his ass at some point."

Bons smiles before splashing some antiseptic on my knees, making me wince, and she quickly puts two large band aids over the numerous cuts. "I'll pull the rest of the tiny bits once we get home with some of our witchy woo, but that'll do to just sit on the bench."

I can't help but roll my eyes at that. I _hate _watching football, and I'm not looking forward to just standing there during halftime while the girls do the routine me and Care made over the summer. I was excited for that, _dammit_.

Fuck the Gilberts.

_Oh wait, there might not be a game when they can't find Mr. Tanner._

* 

I proceeded to walk over towards the boys' locker room after telling Care and Bons that I had left my bag in the girls' locker room, which I _had _just in case I actually needed an alibi.

As I walked over, I saw Stefan and Matt having a heart to heart. _Aw, two boyish guys having a heartfelt conversation is actually really adorable._

I keep thinking that as I see Damon move over to the darkened corner of the building. I quickly positioned myself behind a van and proceeded to watch the Salvatores interact. The sage and vervain spelled sack made it to where they didn't notice my presence, and I was once again grateful that I was reborn supernatural in this world. Seriously, things could've gone to absolute _shit _if I was just human and trying to change everything.

In fact, I'd probably become a vampire as quickly as possible if that had been the case. Besides the point, as Matt left, Damon clapped his hands at the show of brotherhood before exiting the cover of darkness. _Man, these Salvatores are pretty in the moonlight._

_Alright, **any **light. _

Que the infamous 'Damon the Dick' smirk, as he says mockingly, "Isn't that nice? Stefan joins a team, makes a friend. It's all _so _'rah, rah, go team, yeah!'"

I don't think I've really seen Stefan roll his pretty forest green eyes, but he does at Damon's goading, "Not tonight. I'm done with you."

_**Ha!** You wish!_

Damon does the vampire speed thing, and appears in front of his brother. _Very spooky. _Damon's blue mischievous gaze turns a little flinty before he says, "Nice trick with Elena. Let me guess, vervain in the necklace? I admit, I was a _bit _surprised. It's been a while since anyone's been able to resist my compulsion, well, aside from my little witch girlfriend."

Stefan nods slightly, but I think he's just unsure what to say in response to that, starting to look more than a little annoyed.

"Where'd you get it?"

_From your 'however many' great nephew._

"Does it matter?" Is all Stefan replies, and even I know that it's the wrong answer as Damon's countenance gets colder. Stefan turns to leave but Damon is used to having the last word, and he will in this circumstance.

"Guess I could seduce her the old-fashioned way. _Or_ I could just... eat her," he says nonchalantly, but the threat in his tone is _very _present. Stefan pauses, slowly turning back to face his brother.

"No," he says in a way that sounds nearly cocky, "You're not gonna _hurt _her, Damon."

"No?"

_Telling Damon what he will and won't do was **literally **the cause of the majority of the problems the other timeline faced. _

Stefan steps closer to his brother, speaking in a low, patronizing voice, "No. Because deep down inside, there is a part of you that _feels _for her."

_Ew._

I can see the moment that the elder Salvatore's surprise morphs into rage, but Stefan continues boldly, "I was worried that you had no humanity left inside you. That you may have actually _become_ the monster that you _pretend_ to be."

_Goddammit, Stefan, this is gonna be almost entirely your fault. _

"Who's pretending?" Damon retorts in a quiet, startlingly _cold_ tone.

"Then kill me." _Once again, very bold of you, Stefan. You're lucky that **deep** down, Damon still loves you despite everything, or you **would **be dead._

"Well, I'm- I'm tempted," Damon says, slowly returning to his 'Damon the Dick' mode, and even I can tell that he's about to lose it. Why does Stefan keep pushing it?

"No, you're not," Stefan says, and I'm unsure whether on not his tone sounds a bit more sincere, as if begging, "You've had lifetimes to do it, and yet, here I am. I'm _still _alive. And there you are. You're still haunting me, after _one hundred and forty five_ years_. _Katherine is dead."

I see Damon swallow reflexively, and clench his fists. _I_ _wish_ _Katherine_ _was_ _dead_, _Stefan_.

"And you _hate_ me because you _loved_ her, and you _torture_ me because you still do. And that, my brother, is your humanity."

He was 100% right on the money, but he shouldn't have said anything when Damon was like this. Altogether, terrible idea with poor execution.

"Salvatore!" Mr. Tanner calls out. _Terrible_ _timing_, _douche_ _canoe_. "What the hell? We've got a game to play!"

I see the smirk on Damon's face, and quickly mutter, "_Sine_ _dolore_ _est_," before lighting the potion bottle from my pocket with a match. The smoke silently wraps around Mr. Tanner, and I smile in victory. I had made that spell on my own, and I'm glad that nature had approved of my intentions and allowed it to pass.

"If that's my humanity," Damon starts threateningly, "Then what's _this_?"

He runs and tackles Mr. Tanner, causing the older guy to yell in surprise rather than pain, thanks to me. Damon's teeth tear into his neck in a gruesome display as Stefan yells, "No!"

And with that, Mr. Tanner painlessly slips into death. _A_ _lame_ _end_ _for a lame guy._ His fresh corpse hits the pavement, and I torch the sage and vervain sack, alerting the brothers to my presence as it burns instantly.

I pop out from behind the van and glance at Mr. Tanner's body, slightly sad that he had to die that way, but not enough to let it show as I glance at the two brothers with an arched brow.

My eyes slightly widen as I take in Damon's appearance though. His shoulders are heaving heavily, a wild grin on his now bloody lips. His beautiful blue eyes are caked in veins, and he looks positively feral in the _prettiest_ of ways. He looks back at me hungrily, intensely taking in my reaction and probably looking for some sort of judgment on my face. The elder Salvatore doesn't find whatever it is he was looking for in my eyes and instead just _stares_ at me.

I glance over at Stefan, and his forest green eyes are wide and apologetic. For what? I'm not sure. He blinks at me, as if looking to make sure _I'm_ alright, as if I was the one who was attacked and not our history teacher/football coach. _Still a weird combo. _The looks I'm getting from both brothers are enough to get my heart pumping for different reasons before I brush it off wit a mocking glare at both of them.

"Really, guys? At the football game? You guys are a bit too old to be _this_ sloppy," I say, dusting my hands off before turning to Mr. Tanner with my hand outstretched.

"_Igneo_ _morte_."

Instantly, his corpse burns to nothing but ash, and I quickly grab my lavender thyme bundle to spell away the smell of burning hair. Burning bodies smell _disgusting_. Both brothers are once again looking at me like I'm crazy, and I stroll up to Damon, grabbing some napkins from my purse that I got from my lunch at Subway, and offering him them. The older brother blinks at me owlishly.

"What? You look a mess. You're my ride home, and I'd like to be able to eat something after this," I say, raising a brow at him, and he slowly takes them, gauging if I was being genuine or not.

_Oh, I mean it. You owe me a new milkshake. _

He starts wiping off his face and I whip out my matchbox, lighting the herb bundle and setting it on the black mark that _was_ Mr. Tanner's body. _Rest In Peace, Mr. Tanner, sorry it had to go that way. _I then stand up, glaring at both of the brothers.

"Look, I personally don't care if you guys fight, or whatever, and generally I don't care who dies, _however_," I pause, making sure I'm giving both men ample eye contact to drive home my point, "I'm seen with both of you on a regular basis. If the Council starts finding bodies in town, they're gonna be looking at the two new guys, and I might be found guilty by association. Especially, since they already think my grandma is a witch. You're both very _pretty_, but I'm not dying for you."

Damon laughs in disbelief, shaking his head as he crumples up the now bloody napkins. I'm pretty sure I hear him mutter 'wacky witch' but decide to ignore it as he turns his attention back to Stefan.

"Any_one_, any _time_, any _place_, Stefan. Remember that," Then, he turns back towards me with a wry grin, "I'll be in the car when you're done, Ally Cat."

I nod and he's suddenly gone. Stefan rushes up to me, grabbing my shoulders gently and looking me over. I smile at how kind he's being, but it's unnecessary, I had mentally prepared myself for the amount of death that was coming, and I'd seen a lot of deaths _vividly _in my memories. It definitely bothered me at first, but once you see something that often, you get a bit numb to it.

"I'm so sorry you had to see that, Alessia," he whispers genuine, his large hands suddenly cupping my face and looking into my eyes with that weird _soul searching _stare. All I feel is my heart beat jump at the sudden closeness, and I softly cover Stefan's hands with my own, slowly pulling them off of my burning cheeks.

"Stefan, I'm _fine_," I whisper back, and he looks like he doesn't believe me at first, before reluctantly taking my word for it. He doesn't move away, however.

"You scared the _shit _out of me. Damon is unhinged, and he could have seriously hurt you," he mutters harshly, "He still _can, _Alessia."

The way he growls out my name sends shivers up my spine, but I once again grow irritated with Stefan's obsession with telling me what to do.

"You're not the boss of me, Stefan. I could kick your ass if I felt like it, I can definitely handle Damon. I'm not _weak._"

_I will __**not**__ be treated like Doppelena. I'm not weak, and I don't need you to **save** me._

He audibly exhales through his nose, clearly getting frustrated, "You're still a human. Just because you're a big bad Bennett witch doesn't mean you're invincible."

I can feel myself getting angry in turn, and decide to turn to my usual response to anger, _sarcasm. _

"Oh, _thank you, _Stefan. Sometimes I forget."

"I didn't mean it like that, Alessia, and you know that."

I roll my eyes, turning away, "Whatever, Stefan. If I wanted someone to parent me, I'd call my absentee father, not some vegetarian vampire."

Suddenly, I'm yanked back and spun by my wrist, colliding into Stefan's broad chest. Both of us are breathing hard, but I refuse to be shaken up, just glaring back at him.

His eyes are bright, angry, and _so_ very deep. Stefan's breathing is heavy, and his minty breath brushed across my face. _Oh god, he smells like pine_. His gaze looks across my face wildly, searching for something, but I don't know what. All I know is that it's making my heart thump wildly. His large hands slide up to my shoulders softly, and I become aware of a _completely _different kind of tension in the air.

And then I'm snapped out of it by hearing Elena's voice in the distance.

"Stefan? Where are you? Everyone's looking for you!"

I immediately leap out of his large arms and see that he seems as shocked as I do. _What the hell had just happened? _Elena appears from around the corner, and as soon as she sees me by Stefan she starts walking with purpose towards us. I take a soft step back, and I can't look away from Stefan's gaze. He seems to have a similar problem until Elena tugs on his jersey.

"Stefan? Are you okay? Why the _hell _are you out here when the game's about to start?" She asks, when she suddenly points a meaningful glare my way, "You know that better than anyone, Alessia, why are you distracting him?"

_Ugh, ew. Nope, not dealing with this right now._

_"_Bye, Stefan," I say with a turn of my heel, trying to calm my racing heart before I get to Damon's car.

_I think I'll just leave now, instead._

Little did I know that green eyes had followed my every step as I walked away.

*

Damon wouldn't stop to get me food, so I had been driven directly home after we left the game. He didn't say anything, just occasionally glanced my way nonchalantly, but I could see the gears turning in his head. I don't know what he was thinking about though, as he promptly dropped me off with a 'see ya' and left.

I have promptly decided to forget whatever the hell happened between me and Stefan tonight. We were both just mad, he was shocked that Tanner died, really, it was no biggie. And with that, I went inside, took the remaining glass out of my fucking kneecaps, and got my ass to bed.

*

_Tap._

_Tap. Tap._

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

I blinked, my eyes still blurry from just waking up, when I hear another tap at my window. I turn over in my burrito of blankets, my hair covering a good portion of my face.

_Goddammit, the bonnet fell off. Now, my hair's gonna be all frizzy for that Founder's party._

I look towards my window, and see the lovely Damon perched on my windowsill in a black t-shirt and jeans. He winks at me and I groan loudly. Considering it was Sunday and I didn't hear any 60s music playing downstairs, I guessed that Grams must've gone to that book club she's been raving about lately. I groggily stand up, walking towards the window, when I trip on my backpack that I had left on the floor last night and faceplant right onto my nice shag rug.

Damon busts out laughing, so loud I can hear him through the glass. I glare up at him, wide awake _now, _and walk over to open the window. He's still laughing heartily, and I roll my eyes before using my magic to shove him off my windowsill.

He falls back as I turn around to pick a dress for tonight, and when I glance back, he's back on it with a playful glare.

"That wasn't very nice, Ally Cat."

"I'm not very nice, D," is my quick retort as I flip through the first few dresses in my rack. _Oof, this is harder than I thought. _I turn back to Damon holding the red and the purple one.

"I'll let you pick. Which one of these?"

He raises a dark brow before running his intense gaze over the two dresses. The red one was longer, like to my feet, and had a halter neckline along with a gold belt around the center. The purple one went just above my knees and had black scalloped lace from the waist down with a sweetheart neckline.

He sighs, "Don't you have one inbetween those two styles?"

"If I did, I would've picked it."

Damon bats his hand like he's shooing a fly, gesturing for me to move away from the closet so he can see. After scanning for a few seconds, his eyes narrow towards the back before he points his finger at one in the closet.

"That green one towards the back, let me see that one."

I pull it out, and to be honest I had totally forgotten about this dress. I had worn it once for a date that had gone sour and promptly shoved it to the back of my closet. It was an emerald long sleeved cold shoulder dress that clung to my waist and hips tightly and went down to just above my knees. It was a dress that had the elegance of a grown woman, and if I'm being honest, it was perfect for the occasion. Dressy, but not _too _dressy.

"Alright, Damon. I'll admit you're right this one time."

He smirks at that, crossing his arms, "You're welcome, Glinda. And thanks for getting with the program quickly."

I warmly smile back at him, before turning to go take a shower, "You're welcome, Count Chocula. I'll be ready in like 30 minutes."

*

Okay, so it was more like 45 minutes, and I really don't have a defense this time. I just really enjoyed my hot shower today, and I wanted to try and fix my potential bad hair day before it got messy. I decided to just straighten it again, but this time I took a curling iron to it to make it look all cute and super model-y.

I walk back into my bedroom, and Damon has made himself cozy on my windowsill, but he's changed into a suit. _The asshole is lucky my window is basically covered by a tree. _He doesn't open his eyes as he says, "You take literally _forever _to get ready. And I would know, I'm immortal."

I bend down into my closet, grabbing the gold pumps I got for my 15th birthday and sliding them on. "Well, I look outstanding so I make up for the time I use."

He blearily opens one pretty blue eye, then opens both of them upon seeing me in all my green goddess glory as I put on a thick gold choker. He sighs before rolling his eyes, "You're lucky you look stunning, I've _eaten_ people for less."

Cue _my _eye roll, "Trust me, I'm aware. Saw it last night and everything, remember?"

Damon nods before standing up to a crouch, "I'll meet you by the front door, so hurry that perky ass up, would ya? We're gonna be late _again._"

I strut out of the room as I hear him land in my front yard, and promptly rush down to meet him after grabbing my clutch. Damon gives me a mischievous grin as I open the door, extending his arm out to me.

"Let's get this over with," I say as I link arms with him.

"What? Don't like being my date?" He asks with a quirk of his brow.

"I'm fine with that, since you're cute, but I _really _fucking _hate _the Lockwoods."

*

We walk into the party, and I can _feel _the envy of the married women of Mystic Falls. Hell, even Mrs. Lockwood was glaring a hole into my head. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Elena and Stefan walk up and shake hands with the Mayor. Said Salvatore must've felt my gaze, because those pretty green eyes locked on me in seconds. I don't know what my face looked like, but I saw his perfect jaw tighten as Damon put his arm around my waist and started guiding us towards the couple as they move towards the historical artifacts.

Elena is wearing a gold-ish, red-ish dress, a veritable hodge podge, and she looks very pretty. Her and Stefan make a pretty picture, and I wonder if Damon and I do too.

I hear her ask as we walk up, ".. And Stefan Salvatore?"

Damon, who's most likely heard the entire convo since we came in, gleefully interrupts, "The original Salvatore brothers. Our ancestors. Tragic story, actually."

A small grin graces my cheeks as I listen to his teasing tone. _Never let it be said that Damon Salvatore doesn't know how to entertain. _Stefan must not feel the same way, because his gaze hardens.

"We don't need to bore them with stories of the past."

Elena looks minutely irritated before her smile reappears, "It's not boring, Stefan. I'd _love _to hear more about your family."

Damon's typical grin becomes more feral, and I can feel it in my gut.

_I'm gonna need a drink. _

_*_

**_A/n: Hope you enjoyed the recent chapter! It's so exciting to see what you guys are guessing will happen and to read your comments in general. Thanks again! _**


	10. Ten

**Discombobulated: **_def. emotionally confused or uncertain _

Chapter 10: I Need A Drink.

Damon won't quit squeezing my hip trying to hint at something, and honestly, my hip is getting bruised because I have no idea what the hell it is he's trying to hint at. I know that somehow Caroline got Damon and Stefan separated so that the elder could talk to the doppelgänger, but I didn't know _how_. Um, maybe, he went to grab drinks with her? _Doesn't sound right. _

I kept trying to think about it as he squeezed my hip once more and that seems to do the trick.

_Oh my god, I'm an idiot, duh, dancing. _

I blink up awful prettily at Damon, sweetly asking, "Damon, could you please dance with me?"

He blinks back a small surprised expression, he had clearly thought the situation was hopeless, as I had too. Damon smirks before shaking his beautiful dark head softly. "No, I'm not feeling too good tonight, Alessia."

I put on my most downcast expression, eyebrows furrowed, eyes big and innocent with a slight pout on my red lips. Stefan suddenly cuts in, "Well, if he wont, then I can, Alessia."

_Whoa. That was fast._

I blink a bit before smiling warmly at him, even though I can feel Elena's heated glare melting the side of my head. He steps forward offering his arm, and I gently tuck my arm into his, nodding to Damon as I leave.

Stefan takes us over to the dance floor, promptly tucking me into a firm waltz position. The distance between us is professional, but the hand grasping mine is gentle. The song is soft in the background, and the glow from the candles and hanging lights is _awful_ romantic. Not to mention the younger Salvatore looks like one of the most beautiful men in the world in his suit, really, it was hard to remember he had a girlfriend. So, that was the only thought I held on to.

I might not like Elena, but I've never gone purposefully out of my way to cause her pain, and hitting on Stefan would _definitely _do that.

_But looking couldn't hurt. _

"So," I start awkwardly, very vividly remembering that weird moment last night, "Wonderful weather tonight, huh?"

He chuckles, shaking his head as he moves us around the dance floor, "Really, Alessia? That's the best you've got?"

I puff my cheeks slightly in annoyance, "You got something better?"

I can feel his smirk as his arm lifts to guide me through a spin, pulling me ever so slightly closer to him.

"Well, yeah. I guess I'll start with why you were so calm about Mr. Tanner?"

I smile mischievously, I have no intention of telling him _anything _about that, "Wonderful question. The simple answer is that I've picked favorites and the rest are easy pickings."

His thick brow arches, and his eyes glitter with something more akin to curiosity rather than the disgust or disappointment I had anticipated from my answer.

"And I'd be right to guess that Elena is not on that?"

That makes me roll my eyes in annoyance, "I figured you'd be all over that since she's your girlfriend. Can't protect her on your own, Salvatore?"

He smirks, but his shoulders stiffen under my hand, "Nothing like that. Just curious as to why you dislike her so much."

I raise an eyebrow at him, trying to change pace with him as the second song starts up.

"You've been around long enough to take a guess why. Me and Elena are very different people."

"Yes," Stefan starts nonchalantly, "But, you don't seem like the type of person to actively _dislike _someone on a regular basis. So, why her?"

I blinked, a bit stunned that he had noticed that about me from our limited interactions, "Look, Stefan. I'm not trying to shit talk Elena. Everybody's got flaws, her's just _really_ annoy me."

He doesn't let up, "Like?"

I roll my eyes. Fine, if he wanted the dirt on Elena, I'd give it to him. He was too twitterpated to notice them when he was stalking her in the first timeline, I _sincerely _doubt that my opinion of her will change much. "Well, if you're _really _curious, sure. I don't like Elena because I don't like how she acts and treats others. She can be very sweet, but she's been treated like a perfect person since the day I met her. Her parents favored her over Jeremy, Caroline's parents always pressured her to be more like Elena, and all the boys have always liked her. Because of this, she's never had to interact with hardship until her parents passed away, and that's made her somewhat entitled."

I pause, gauging his reaction. He doesn't look too angry, more like pensive.

"You look like there's more," he mutters into my ear after spinning me once again, causing my cheeks to heat up at his newfound closeness.

"There is, but I'm sure you'll notice it pretty soon. Not that they'll irritate you, too. Just saying you might see things from my perspective."

The song ends, and we gently separate, him gesturing to a waiter for two flutes of champagne. The man complies, allowing Stefan to grab one and hand it to me, and I gratefully take it and down half of it.

_Being this close to hot vampires is becoming bad for my heart._

"Rough night?" He chuckles, and I shrug.

"Rough _week_, Stefan. Any wild guesses as to why that is?" I ask sarcastically, and he shrugs back at me with a teasing smile before tucking my arm back into his and guiding us out of the room.

"Be _careful, _Alessia," he whispers quietly, glancing at me from the corner of his eye, giving me an excellent view of his profile, "And just so you know, I haven't forgotten what I said I'd do if you decide to continually put yourself in danger."

My eyes widen slightly at that as we come back to Damon and Elena, the latter appearing _very _perturbed. I start feeling rather unnecessary as I stand there, letting them all have their small talk at our reunion. _Yeah, I'm bored. I'm gonna go see Bonnie._

I lean up and kiss Damon on the cheek, leaning into his ear as Stefan and Elena look on, "I'm gonna go see my sister, grab me if you need me."

Fake-smiling at the other couple, I glance at Elena's suspicious look towards Stefan. Her curiosity was going to get annoying soon, and so would her entitled attitude, so I promptly wave bye to both and exit towards the house.

To be completely honest, I hadn't had much quality time with Bonnie, and it was starting to bother me. She was one of the other people besides Caroline who knew _most _of what was going on, and I needed an outlet. Not to mention, we hadn't had a lesson in almost two days, and I was starting to feel like I was slacking off on my sister's safety.

*

I find her in one of the _many_ dining rooms in this fucking mansion, sipping on champagne while watching Mrs. Lockwood interact with a waiter. She glances at me as I pull up to her side, and we both listen in on Mrs. Lockwood's convo.

"_Why aren't they lit?_" She asks the young man vehemently, and I suppress an eye roll at her dramatics. Mrs. Lockwood was a _real _piece of work, and the definition of a politician's wife. Overbearing, collected, and vindictive, me and her had a mutual dislike for the other _especially _since I was aware of how she and her husband treated Tyler. "There's matches in the kitchen."

I turn to Bonnie only to find she's already giving the older woman a dirty look, and I can tell she doesn't notice her magic stirring to rise to her emotions. She sets her olive gaze on me, clearly ticked off.

"What a _bitch._"

I laugh, and nod as we both walk further into the unlit room. My eyebrow raises as an idea comes to me. You see, not many people know that while Bons' was a loyal friend and would do _anything _in the name of friendship, there was one other thing that was an even more powerful motivator.

Bonnie Bennett was a _very _competitive young lady. Our childhood was littered with contests to see who was the best singer, who's Halloween costume was the best, who could walk best in platform heels, etc. Basically, it's a running gag from our youth that I _knew _would be the best way to teach Bonnie how to harness her powers quickly. Willpower and intention were the two most powerful things at a witch's disposal when it came to using their magic.

"Bons, I'll bet you a steak at the Grill you can't light all these candles at once," I say nonchalantly, leaning down on the finely decorated table.

Her lips quirk in a grin at the challenge, but I can see the self doubt in her olive eyes. "I could totally do it, Lessy," she says pridefully, but not in a convincing way.

"Alright, the floor is _all _yours," my hand gestures to the table in a sweeping motion.

Her eyes suddenly get focused, and she clenches her fists. I see her pupils dilate as the magic in the room fluctuates, but after a few moments she sighs angrily.

"I can't _focus _with all this noise!" Bons spouts off haphazardly, clearly getting frustrated that it wasn't working automatically. It was close, though, she just needed a _push. _

"It's all intention, Bons. Focus on nature and it'll bend to your will. Now, close your eyes," she closes them, "Now, I want you to think of the energy at the football game. Think of that large bonfire and how it danced along with everyone who was partying there."

Her brow furrows as her magic calms down, instead of repeatedly tapping on the wicks of the candles, it slowly washes over the candles in the room like a wave. They all light up, and I can't stop the smile on my face. _God, my sister is awesome._

It takes a hot shit witch to be able to move from not doing magic at all, to doing migraine and fire spells, at will, without any assistance from herbs and balms, in a few _days. _Bonnie was going to be _much _stronger in this timeline at this rate, especially since she was going to be having two mentors instead of just me _very_ soon.

She opens her large eyes, blinking surprisedly at all of the lit candles, before turning to me with a bright smile, and I can see her getting emotional at her success. I open up my arms, and she rushes me with a hug, squeezing me tightly.

"This is _incredible, _Lessy," she mutters into my hair, and I squeeze her tight before pulling away slightly, my hands still on her shoulders. I know _exactly _what she means, the connection to nature could be nearly overwhelming.

"_We're _incredible, Bons," I say emphatically, "We are the newest generation of something _fantastic. _And, surprising no one, we're fucking awesome at it!"

She laughs hard, pulling away fully from me and playfully hitting my shoulder, "You owe me steak, you realize that, right?"

I roll my eyes before throwing my arm around her shoulder and we walk out of the dining room, "Whatever, we can go to the Grill sometime this week."

"Damn straight. I'm getting grilled mushrooms and _everything._"

_Ugh, you're lucky I love you._

_*_

I see Tiki leave the bathroom with a thick scarf around her neck, and pretty soon afterwards a freaked out Elena follows.

_Oh, boy. _I quickly shoot a text to Damon.

**Msg: **Uh.. D? You didn't happen to snack on Tiki, did you?

My phone buzzes with his response immediately after.

**From: **

Eternal Stud

**Msg: **needed her to keep a look out while I grabbed something, y?

_Oof, yikes. _I quickly let him know that an angry Elena might be on his tail, and he let's me know that she _had _seen him leave with her to a back room. _I'm glad I'm not you right now. _His inability to wait till after the party to eat was gonna get him locked in the cell in the boardinghouse's basement.

_Goddammit_, that means I have to go get him in a few days since Care isn't compelled. _Ughhhhh. _

I walk out to the balcony, fully prepared to watch the scene play out in front of me. A waiter passes by with more champagne, and I grab two, quickly downing the first one and setting it back on his tray before shooing him away. _Oh god, are these people gonna make me an alcoholic like Grams? _Shaking my head at the thought, I peer down at Damon who's further into the landscaping, seemingly getting increasingly more angry with Tiki for getting caught.

_Welp, if she dies, she dies._

He starts draining her, and I see Stefan sneak out from the shadows, some sort of dart in his hand. Stefan stabs it _hard _into his brother's neck, and I watch Damon slowly fall unconscious next to a bleeding out Tiki. I can't tell whether he heals her or just compels her, but he does bend down over her momentarily before hefting Damon onto his shoulders and vampire speeding into the night.

_Dammit, she lives_, I think as Tiki hesitantly stands up, clearly shaking from the ordeal and probably the loss of blood. Elena comes out and starts to console her as the girl starts crying on her shoulder, and I turn away.

_Looks like I'm riding back with Bonnie since my date is occupied._

*

Caroline had ended up coming home with us as well, since she had gotten pretty drunk on champagne, and I was pretty happy with that since I hadn't really seen her all night. She stayed with us almost all week, not wanting to go home to where her mom was. Fortunately, I had smuggled two bottles in my purse on our way out of the Founder's party, so we all just got stupid drunk on Thursday in Bonnie's room while watching the Exorcist.

Needless to say, terrible idea altogether, as we had been freaked out for the majority of the night until we drank ourselves to sleep.

When I woke up, I had a bit of a headache, and was face planted into Bonnie's beanbag chair still in my dress from last night. I tried to blink the sleep from my eyes as I looked to see where two of my musketeers had landed. Bonnie was sprawled out on the carpet, empty bottle of champagne by her feet and with a bowl of popcorn balancing on her stomach. Caroline on the other hand was half-on, half-off the bed, the top part of her dress hanging off of one shoulder, hair a mess and drool on her cheek.

_We're adorable... _I glance at the alarm clock and my eyes widen to comical proportions.

I quickly stand up, grabbing two pillows by my feet and hurling them at the other two as I wobble forward. "GUYS WE ARE _**SO** _LATE FOR SCHOOL!"

Bonnie shoots upward, scared at the sudden noise, and accidentally flings the popcorn bowl across the carpet. Caroline starts and falls off the side of the bed she had been precariously balanced on. We all race towards the bathroom, albeit not very gracefully, and all try to use the single sink at once.

"Pass me the deodorant!"

"Why don't you guys have makeup wipes??"

"Throw me the concealer!"

Miraculously, we look somewhat _not _hungover as we run out of the bathroom, Bons to her room, and Care and I to mine. We had worked out a system to where if something like this happens, Caroline only borrows _my _clothes. Last time she borrowed Bonnie's, she had spilled some ketchup on it and it _never _came out, so she's been banned from there for like the last three years.

We both tear out clothes from my closet and dresser, quickly dressing and dashing to my wall mirror. She grabs the spare comb from atop my dresser while I just say 'fuck it' and put my hair in a bun. It's frizzy, but it'll work. Caroline, of course, ends up looking perfect, and I roll my eyes in jealousy at her obscene good looks.

_I need to get less attractive friends so I'm not so envious._

We all three exit the rooms at the same time somehow, and thunder down the staircase, completely bypassing our Grams who was about to scold us. Bons grabs the keys, and we jet set out of there.

_If we drive straight there, we'll only be 15 minutes late to first period and since it's a substitute we'll be fine._

_*_

We three walk into school with three large iced coffees. Yeah, we decided to just skip first period altogether, but to be honest, that was probably for the best.

Caroline then glances at the two of us on either side of her before saying, "We need to stop and use the printer at the front office. I was totally supposed to print off more flyers for the Sexy Suds Car Wash this morning before class."

I groan at the thought of seeing Ms. Watson this early, but both us Bennetts nod our heads in acquiescence. The old bat glares at us as soon as we walk in, as if she _knows _we're all hungover and is subsequently judging our underage drinking. After all the sheets are printed out, Care splits the large stack into three and hands me and Bonnie a section each.

"Alright, ladies," she says brightly with a smile, "Hangovers are for the weak. Time to bring out those smiles."

I give her my best fake smile as Bonnie rolls her eyes, laughing. We strut out into the main hallway, passing out the flyers to any student unfortunate enough to make eye contact with us. I turn to Caroline as I hand another out to a student, "Hey, Care, did you ever get the band to confirm whether they could help out?"

Her blonde brow furrows slightly as she smiles warmly at another student before answering, "Not the whole band, just the ones who can wear a bikini."

"Technically," Bonnie quips, "can't _anyone_ weara bikini?"

I think about it momentarily before bobbing my head in a so-so motion, "True, but, ya know, a lot of people don't want to." They both nod.

Caroline continues to strut forward, "I want 'in-your-face' sexy. I mean, it's a fundraiser for god sake."

I laugh at her haughty tone, completely making way for the Caroline that takes care of this town's events. Seriously, the woman was a miracle worker. We all see Elena at the end of the hallway glaring at me and Care. Bons sighs, taking a step away from the trio.

"I'm gonna go check in on her, we haven't talked since the game."

Care waves and I salute her off, disappearing with Caroline around the corner.

_I have no desire to speak to Elena Gilbert today._

*

I turned the corner to go to my English class, and out pops Stefan Salvatore like a goddamn Jack in the Box. I jump back with a gasp, before smacking him on the chest.

"Don't sneak on people like that, Salvatore!"

He looks reasonably confused, "You're in a crowded hallway, Alessia."

"I said what I said."

He chuckles before he narrows his eyes at me with a very serious look on his face.

"I wanted to tell you that Damon isn't coming back."

My dark brows lift in pretend surprise, "Seriously?"

"Yeah, I took care of it."

I fight off a sarcastic answer and instead smirk at him, patting him on the shoulder as I move to pass him, "Good for you, Stefan. I'm glad he can quit getting between you and Elena."

I keep walking, but, Stefan quickly moves to walk besides me, obvious question in his eyes.

"_Wait, _you don't care at all?" He asks incredulously.

_I must've really sold that I was interested in him. He's super fine, but I don't want a guy who's in love with another woman. _

_Wait._

"No, Stefan," I sigh, resting my arms on the straps of my backpack, "We weren't _actually _together. He just wanted to fuck with you and we had a business arrangement, so I went with it."

He sucks in an angry, surprised breath, pulling me to the side of the lockers and once _again_ stopping my walk to class.

"You _went _with it?" Stefan asks angrily, taking a deep breath and pinching his straight nose.

"That's what I said," I reply nonchalantly, not really caring that my plans had upset him once again. His fist suddenly slams into the locker next to him and I blink, unimpressed as he storms away.

_What a drama queen._

_*_

**_A/n: Thanks for the love guys! Happy Thanksgiving!_**

**_*_**


	11. sorry, but important announcement!

**_A/n: Hello everyone, and happy thanksgiving! Since I already put out two chapters today, I thought it'd be good to answer some questions about the series that I've been getting in PMs and comments._**

**_1\. Why aren't there more Bonnie scenes, or why don't we see more of what Bonnie is doing or thinking?_**

**_The answer to that is plain and simple: I wanted this to stay a first person book, and a lot of the plot development for the season at the beginning is without her. Having her anymore involved would severely mess up the timeline in a way that I don't want to deal with. Also, you don't get to see a lot of Bonnie's character in season 1 until she starts using her magic more, which is more towards episodes 5, 6, and 7 and we're still on episode 4_****_ in the book. It's already pretty hard to invent a personality for one person, and I REALLY don't want to jack hers up by getting too creative, but I did try giving a scene of Bonnie's development so far in the last chapter, so that everyone was on the same page of where she's at atm. I'm not a wonderful writer, but I'm working with what I know how to do._**

**_2\. How long is this series gonna be? _**

**_I'm pretty set on it ending on Season Three. Things are already starting to change significantly from canon and that's as far as I can go without messing up something that everyone loves too far._**

**_3\. Who are Bonnie and Alessia going to end up with?_**

**_Honestly, no clue._**

**_Okay! That's all! So, not to be a downer or anything but could the few of you who are kinda threatening me about how I'm writing, please stop? I love a good critique, but if I deserve to die because I can't write as well as some of the other authors on here, you can try to write your own book. _**

**_Sorry for the drama everyone, and happy thanksgiving!_**


	12. Eleven

**Elysian: **_def. _beautiful or creative; divinely inspired; peaceful and perfect

Chapter 11: We Bennetts Look Hot in Bikinis

So, I'm pretty sure this is the most comfortable I've ever been. Bending down to add more soapy water to my sponge, I realized that I would be completely comfortable wearing this purple bikini for the rest of my life.

_I wish being a nudist was socially acceptable._

Me and Bonnie are tag teaming this guy's Chrysler, and I'm happy to do it for the fund to find the 'missing' Mr. Tanner, but the dude behind the windshield is being a total creep. I glance up to start on said windshield and the weird old guy winks at me. Caramel eyes roll _hard _and I decide to personally blame Care for this and that she will owe me a milkshake.

I've gotten seriously addicted to them since the last time me and Damon hung out.

_Speaking of which... _I see Tiki walking away from the car wash altogether, in a bit of a trance. I had thought that originally, I'd have to get Damon out all by myself since he was 'dating' me, but, I was ever so grateful that he'd been using Tiki as a juice box right before he got put down. I didn't know quite how compulsion rules worked, so I didn't want to assume at first glance that he'd have a mental link to the bitch after just biting her twice, but, apparently it was a 'one and done' type of deal.

_Huh, l wonder how long that link is sustainable. It's been like five days already._

Oh well, I have no qualms about it. I just hope for her sake she's as fast as Caroline was. Realizing I had spaced out while bending down to renew the soap on my sponge, I continue washing the car. I turn to ask Bons for the hose, but stop when I see how hard she's glaring at the creepy guy in the car. A rush of magic leaves her and I'm momentarily stunned at the _intensity _of it before I jump back away from the car.

Flames appear from the underside of the vehicle, and I see everyone start to turn around and notice, starting a crowd panic. Bonnie's in a trance as the doors suddenly all lock the old guy in, who's banging on the windows _very _enthusiastically, and I _hear_ more than see Stefan rush over to the car. He starts trying to pull on the handle, but the metal has gotten too hot. Rushing over, I turn Bons away from the car, yelling at her, "Bons!! Not the time, _snap out of it!"_

She stays still with that glazed eye look, and determination sets in making me smack her _hard _across the face. Blinking olive eyes regain their clarity, and the flames go down. The creep is grabbed from the car by Stefan and ushered away to safety by a few of the other football guys, including Tyler. My sister's large watery eyes look at me, pleading with me to tell her that it wasn't her fault, and I pull her into my arms. She responds immediately, clutching me tightly.

"Did anyone see?" She asks quietly, and I shake my head, smoothing down her hair in a comforting motion I've picked up since we were kids.

"Nah, Bons, we're all good," I whisper back, and I feel her shoulders tremble slightly.

"I'm sorry, I'm _so_ sorry," she cries quietly, "I could just see him _looking_ at you like that and it was so gross and I just got so _angry_, I'm sorry."

I hush her, releasing her before wiping at her eyes, "Calm down, Bonnie, it's alright. He didn't get hurt, and you were just looking out for me, everything is gonna be fine. But, we need to talk to Grams."

I know just how bothered she is by this, because she doesn't even argue when I mention talking to Grams. She just lets me drive us straight home. And I can feel a small twinge of anger at how _rough _this conversation was going to be.

*

"Grams, we're talking about this _now!"_ I call out as I usher Bonnie into the house. I plop her down on the living room couch as I hear Grams' slippered feet creak along the floorboards towards us. When she comes in and sees Bonnie's tear-stained face, she freezes, her withered gaze slowly turning warm and sympathetic.

"Oh, _Bonnie,_" she sighs, her tone sad and humble, "I knew this would happen at some point."

Olive green eyes snap to her, bright in their anger, "Why didn't you _tell _me? Why did you make _Lessy _not tell me?!"

Her voice is raw and the sadness and hurt I hear nearly breaks my heart. Bons had hidden just how bad Grams' secrecy had gotten to her, how much _betrayal _she had felt that I had neglected to see. Anyone could hear also just how hurt she was that she couldn't hear it from me for so long. I _knew_ she didn't blame me for it but, god, it hurt me all the same.

Grams retreats back to what I called her 'sage' face. She specifically used this look on me when she wanted to sound wise, but wasn't entirely, like when I had first started using magic and she told me how it wasn't fun and games, how I could _seriously _injure somebody. The issue with that lesson is that there is a balance. Magic is a powerful entity, a line directly to Mother Nature, and while nature is as fierce as they come, it also had it's silly nuances. For every hurricane, there's a baby horse trying to learn how to walk; for every volcanic eruption, there are animals at play. Nature is funny in how it can swing from purposeful, to purposeless, and Grams didn't realize that while magic was somewhat a serious art, it was also a very fun one, and one that witches should not be afraid of.

"You weren't ready, child."

Bonnie stands in anger, and I see the candles around the room light up along with the fireplace.

_So proud._

_"No,"_ she denies, strong and fierce like a Bennett should be, "_YOU _weren't ready! You weren't ready to raise us, you were never ready to quit drinking, and you were _never _going to be ready to teach me magic! You were going to let me flounder until I came crawling to you, when you've _never _been reliable enough for me to trust you! I almost _killed _someone today, and Lessy was the _only_ one there to help me!"

She points at a very emotional me before continuing, "_Lessy_ was the one who tucked me in at night. _Lessy _was the one who made me dinner while you were passed out drunk. And it was _Lessy _who would stay up late to help me finish my school projects! You, Mom, and Dad, _none _of you tried for us. It's always _been _me and Lessy, and it'll always _be _me and Lessy!"

I have tears running down my cheeks at this point, and I wanna smack myself for being so emotional, but _god_, I needed to hear this. I needed to hear that my work hadn't been for nothing. Needed to hear that Bonnie would _always _be by my side.

Grams is very clearly crying for a different reason. Bonnie never really got to confront Grams like she did Mom in the original timeline. Bons _had _to reconnect with Grams out of desperation back then. To be frank, I was happy to see the change.

Bonnie's eyes are watery once again, cheeks red in anger, as she starts looking coldly at Grams.

"I love you, Grams. But, I don't _need _you."

She moves over to my side, linking our hands, and I look at Grams with pity, because I _knew _she should've talked to Bonnie sooner, and now she was losing her over it.

"_We _don't need you," she whispers, a new wave of tears rolling down her face, and I squeeze her hand to comfort her.

_I'm right here._

Her hand squeezes mine back twice, and I realize that we can't stay here tonight, at least not after this mess. I take a deep breath, wiping the tears under my eyes as I look at my repentant grandma, sad but unwavering.

"We're gonna stay at Caroline's. Bonnie will message you when we're ready to talk."

And with that, I guide Bonnie upstairs, where she rushes to start to go pack her things. I pick up my phone and call Care. She, of course, picks up on the first ring.

"Hey, Aless! You would not _believe _what I just heard!"

I sniffle and she pauses, before asking, "Code Red?"

"Code Red."

*

It's early the next morning when my phone rings, and Bonnie and Care groan from next to me. Rolling my eyes, I reach blindly for it on the corner table, of course, knocking it off. I have no energy from crying yesterday, and so instead of standing, I promptly roll myself off the bed, landing hard on the floor.

_Okay, maybe I shouldn't be **that** lazy. _

I feel my phone buzz again under my butt, and see a cosmic level shit ton of messages and missed calls, several being from the police. _Guess Tiki didn't make it out._ I start scrolling through the rest, seeing several from Doppelena, Tyler, and the Eternal Stud, himself.

-

**From: **Doppelena

**Msg: **HAV U SEEN BON? SHES NOT PICKIN UP

-

**From: **Tyler Ma Boi

**Msg: **Hey did the cops call u?? Tiki and Vicki r MIA and people died

-

**From: **Eternal Stud

**Msg**: We need to talk. Boardinghouse in 2 hrs

_-_

_Ughhhhh... What a headache. _My eyes feel puffy, and I'm tired still, so I decide to wait to answer the calls to action till later. It was Saturday, I couldn't be blamed for sleeping in, and I had like an hour and a half before I had to see Damon. I'd call the po-po back when it suited my needs.

And with that last thought, I went back to sleep for a bit longer.

*

I had clearly forgotten that I was on the floor when I went back to sleep, and now my neck hurts like hell. I start to rub it harder as I pull up to the Salvatore boardinghouse, stalling the car before walking up to the entrance.

Raising my hand, I knock hard on the large oak door.

_Total silence. Huh, weird. _Then, I listen closely and hear music blaring further within the house, but it's suddenly disrupted by Damon's playful voice calling out from within.

"Sun is in the way, can't open the door at the moment. Use your magic, Glinda."

I quickly use the same spell as before, opening the door to hear Anberlin's "Enjoy the Silence" cover. _Not bad music taste. Oh, wait I need to act like I dunno what happened to him. _

I glance around the empty foyer as I close the large door behind me, calling out, "Any particular reason why your daylight ring is out of commission, or..?"

Suddenly, a half naked Vicki Donovan appears from around the corner. _Oh yeah. Forgot about her. _She glares at me venomously, "What the _hell _are you doing here, homewrecker?"

_Ugh, knew the janitor's closet meeting would bite me in the ass._

Damon picks that spectacular moment to walk into the foyer _with his shirt unbuttoned SWEET **JESUS**-_

He mockingly gasps, pretending to be offended, "Ally Cat, is it true? Did I lose you to the arms of _another_ during my staycation?"

I blink hard, desperately trying _not _to look at his abs, but then I realize that looking at his pretty face with that shaggy black sex-hair he has going on doesn't help much either, so I just roll my eyes, turning back towards Icky Vicki.

"Oh yes," I say monotonously, "I'm having an affair, Damon, with my best _friend. _But, sweetie, in all fairness, I was informed you were dead."

His blue eyes harden slightly at that, even though he smirks at my reply, "Leave my lovely lady all to her lonesome? I would _never._"

Vicki stomps off, saying something about getting a drink, and I move my gaze up to the paintings so I don't look at Damon. "Enough word play," I demand while rubbing my tired eyes, "I've had a long night, and don't have the patience to go tit for tat with you. What the hell happened to your day ring?"

He smiles, before directly vamp speeding into my personal space, and it takes every ounce of my self control not to jump and hit him. "Dear old Stefan took it after locking me in our cellar for a few days. I was _starving, _Ally Cat. Got that little cheerleader to get me out since I was at the end of my rope," his icy gaze is intense, pinning my eyes to his as he speaks further, "So, I went and snacked on some kids, ya know, the usual, and then called Stefan to let him know if I don't get it back very soon then I'm going to turn Elena into a human juice box."

I nod, following his train of thought before my brow furrows, "And you kept Vicki alive because...?"

He shrugs his broad shoulders, a blasé expression on his handsome face, "This is like the third time I've fed off her and she hasn't died. Also, I was bored."

"Meh, alright," I say nonchalantly, "and why'd you invite me here with the girl who hates me?"

He spins around, tucking my arm into his like he did at the Founder's Party, before leading me into the main living area.

Damon starts dancing a little as we get closer to the sound of music, before full-on spinning me into a chair. He continues the hypnotic sway of his hips, bobbing his dark head along to the music before turning back towards me.

"You think you could make me another ring if Stefan has shipped mine to Timbuktu?" He asks over the music, and I cross my legs in my jean shorts.

"Totally, if you paid me. But, I don't have any lapis lazuli back at home so it'll take me a couple days to get it."

He does a fist pump, continuing to dance, and I can't help but laugh a little at his drunken exuberance, "Perfect. I am partial to mine, but, I'm not a very _patient _guy."

_I'm well aware._

Vicki comes back into the room, bottle of expensive bourbon in her hand as she dances to the beat. Damon waves for her to pass the bottle, which she does with a flirty smile, then he turns and extends the bottle to me with an eyebrow raise.

_Eh, what the hell. When in Rome._

I grab the bottle, taking a large, burning swig before standing up and starting to dance with them. It hits my stomach hard and fast, making me feel all warm and fuzzy already, and I know a few more swigs from that and I'll be the dancing queen.

*

_I AM THE GODDAMN DANCING QUEEN!_

Dunno how long we've been dancing, also dunno where my shirt went, and I don't _care. _I'm dancing on the dining table with Damon while Vicki throws plates into the walls while spinning. Shaking my hips as we listen to "Mamma Mia" by ABBA, me and Damon sing along to all the words while holding our individual bottles.

"Just one look and I can hear a bell ring!" I shout drunkenly as I strike a pose.

"One more look and I forget everything!" Vicki yells back, hopping up and down along to the song. Damon laughs at us, before downing the rest of his bottle. He gives me a mischievous look, and suddenly I'm lurched over to the dangerous end of the guard rail on their ENORMOUS staircase. Damon's dance moves become much more sensual, practically oozing 'rock n' roll sex god'.

_I can do that, too! _I think obstinately in my very drunk mind. The world's a blur outside of the beautiful Damon Salvatore, and I am _loving _it. I start banging my head, becoming much more freelance with my dance moves, and I see Damon _genuinely _smiling at me. It takes my breath away, honest to god. He slowly dances closer to me, moving more like we're at a club than at the edge of falling.

Icy blue eyes look deep into mine, as he moves closer, his hands finding purchase on my hips as the song changes to a slow one. _Is that 'Twenty One Guns'? It sounds so sweet and soothing_. Suddenly, it feels like I've blinked and we're back in the living room.

_Maybe I'm getting used to the vampire speed._

A smile works it's way on my face as I look up into Damon's teasing eyes. _Always teasing. _He moves my arms around his neck, and we slowly sway back and forth to the music like we're at the prom, instead of half naked and drunk in his living room. Laying my head on his chest because I'm woozy, I vaguely hear Vicki plop down on the chaise longue, and per the norm, complaining _loudly._

_"_My mom spends most of her time in Virginia Beach with Pete. He drives trucks," her voice cracks slightly as she continues, and I feel Damon's shoulders stiffen in annoyance, "I don't remember my dad, but from what I gather, he's not worth remembering."

_Same, sis._

Damon looks up from his tucked position in my shoulder, "Your life is _so _pathetic."

_Brutal._

She just nods, taking another swig before tearily acknowledging, "Yeah. I mean, _I'm _the screwed-up one. Matt's got it _so easy. _He's the golden boy. I mean, he's gonna get a football scholarship and marry Elena, and have a lawn mower, and have some babies. And when I think of my future, I just come up blank."

I roll my eyes in irritation at her self pity, as if Matt didn't have to deal with the same things she did, and I pull my head off of Damon's warm chest reluctantly to look at her, "Matt doesn't have it easy. He's got a lot of pressure on his shoulders _being _the 'golden boy' and you don't help with all of your acting out. You don't have a future because you don't plan on having one. You just want everything _easy _and are desperate for someone, _anyone _to pay attention to you_. _It's why you keep running back to Jeremy when you actually want Tyler, it's why you do drugs, and it's why you're such a _bitch._"

_Oof, mental note, Drunk Alessia is **brutal**._

She glares hard at me, "You'd know wouldn't you, _Alessia? _God, I've always hated you. You always act like you're so much better than me. And I hate you even _more _for taking Tyler from me, you home-wrecking cunt."

I stop swaying immediately, pulling fully out of Damon's arms, much to his apparent irritation, "I'm not _better _than you, Vicki. You could choose to be a better person, take care of your younger brother who _needs _you more than ever, but no. You decide to snort coke in graveyards."

And that was the _heart _of why I couldn't stand Vicki. My greatest purpose in life was to watch out for my sibling, take care of her, and Vicki _always _casually tossed Matt aside like yesterday's garbage. With Damon and Stefan, I could understand their anger with the other, moreso Damon's than Stefan's, and that's why they always were on each other's throats. Vicki, however, treated Matt in a similar way to how their mom treated them, and I couldn't stand her for it.

Vicki stands drunkenly from the chair, a slight sway as she marches over towards me with fury twisting up her face. Suddenly, Damon's in front of me, boxing her into a hug while she tries to swing at me.

"You seriously don't have one _ounce _of self-esteem," he sighs, nearly cooing at her and she looks up at him with soft eyes, shaking her head, "I think I know what can help you."

_Where do I remember this from? _My head is too woozy to tell.

"What's that?" She whispers, gripping his shoulders tightly as I squint my eyes, trying to remember.

"Death."

Her neck suddenly snaps to the side with a wave of his hand, and my eyes widen.

_Oh yeahhh, whoops._

_*_

**_A/n: Hey guys! Thanks for all the love and support from my last post! Hope you enjoy this chapter!! _**


	13. Twelve

**Askhole: **_def. _someone who continually asks stupid or pointless questions

Chapter 12: I Might Need Some Help.

"Bons, for the _last _time, I'm not going to watch Buffy with you and Care."

She pouts looking down at the Grill's knocked up table while carving another bite of steak off and popping it in her mouth.

"Oh, _come on, _Lessy," she whines with her mouth full, "It's amazingly ironic, considering."

"And that's _exactly _why I ain't gonna do it. If I'm already living it, watching it would be repetitive info. Anyhoo, where the hell is Caroline? She said she'd be here like fifteen minutes ago."

Sipping another large gulp of milkshake that _Caroline _was supposed to pay for, I glance around ye olde Mystic Grill looking for her familiar blonde head.

"She's looking for a Halloween costume, remember? She takes _forever _when she shops."

I sigh, spinning my unused fork inbetween my fingers, "Still planning on being a witch?"

"I pride myself on being _ironic,_" she bounces back, playfully. I'm happy to see her in much better spirits after last night, but her comment reminds me of something else.

_Vicki was gonna be an 'ironic' vampire tomorrow._

I had very quickly made my exit after Damon snapped her neck, not wanting to become newborn vampire chow, and now I had to think about what I wanted to do here. I could either let her die, which would require the least effort on my part, but be guilt tripped every time I spoke to Matt after. Or, I could try and help her, keep Matt and _ugh, _Jeremy somewhat happy, and exercise maximum effort.

As a blonde head popped through the front door in my peripheral, I was glad I decided to summon the war council on this one. I couldn't figure out who to leave her to if I did save her. Stefan wasn't a good vampire role model _whatsoever_, and Damon would get bored and either kill her or ditch her in his current state.

As Care sits her cute butt in the seat across from me, she sets several bags on the floor by her feet. "Damn, chica, did you buy the whole store?" She rolls her cornflower blue eyes before shining her bright smile at me. Her 'I did something for you' smile.

"Oh no, Care you shouldn't have," I sigh warmly. She _knows _I love presents, and she would by one randomly every now and again to keep me on my toes. She shakes her head, "Don't say a word, Aless, I'm not returning it. Now, what did you wanna talk to us about?"

I roll my sore neck before leaning up on the table, clasping my hands together. "Okay, ladies," I start earnestly, wanting it to come across how serious this was for our friend group, "I'd like to introduce a new group code name called 'war council'. Basically, this is where we decide as a group how to go about the supernatural goings on in Mystic Falls. We'll always take a vote on decisions, and it'll be majority rules, since this is a democracy."

Bonnie's olive gaze is solemn on mine, and Caroline is looking at me with the most determined expression I've seen on her since we went Black Friday shopping last year.

Bons starts off first, "Okay, I think this is a good idea. But once I tell Elena what's going on, she needs to be part of it, too."

_Ugh._

I nod, but it's not with any eagerness. It's only fair. And besides, once Elena becomes a liability by getting too attached to the hip of the Salvatores, she'd not be included in _major _decisions anymore.

Caroline nods as well, then looks at me intently, "Now, what do you need to tell us, Aless?"

_There's no easy way to do this, just spill the beans._

"Vicki Donovan has accidentally been turned by Damon."

Both pairs of eyes widen substantially, slowly digesting the information, then finally joining back into the discussion.

"Why the _hell _did Damon do that?!" Caroline whisper yells across the table.

Bonnie jumps in, "And secondly, if he's that dangerous why are _we _helping him?"

My arms raise in a self defensive motion, "Hang on! Firstly, Damon did it by accident. Stefan locked him in their cellar for five days and the dude was starving. Went all animalistic on the druggies in the graveyard last night. Vicki was still breathing. Fed her his blood and healed her. She was being super rude to me, and he snapped her neck, but he forgot he'd healed her before, and blames Stefan for keeping him locked up in the first place."

_No need to bring up Tiki since no one directly told me about it._

Caroline's blonde brow furrows, "Wait. Stefan's a vampire?" She shakes off the question, "Never mind, why did Stefan even lock Damon up in the first place?"

I roll my eyes at Stefan's dramatics, "Long story, short, Stefan provoked Damon, Damon acted out by trying to ruin his relationship with Elena by using me as an in."

Bons nods, finally processing my information dump of the last forty eight hours, "Okay, so what are we deciding on?"

"Basically, it's to discuss whether we should help save Vicki or stay out of it," I reply nonchalantly, and the girls both look at me shocked before I raise my hand, pausing their onslaught, "Look. I don't _want _to see her die. I don't like her, but I don't want her dead. She's Matt's sister. However, she's a newborn vampire with an insatiable lust for blood who _also _happens to be a drug addict. The odds of her going all crackhead is really high, and she's actually dangerous right now because she's unpredictable. Also, she's made a point of telling me how much she hates me, so she could attack any one of us out of spite."

"Why would Vicki do that?" Caroline asks innocently, not knowing quite as much about vampires as Bons and I did.

Bonnie blows out a puff of air, cupping the back of her neck nervously before answering, "Vampires have really heightened emotions, and since she's a baby, her's are _wayyy _worse. A little sadness turns into depression, a little happiness turns into insanely chipper.."

".. And anger turns into fury?" She fills in, and we both nod, "Jesus Christ."

"Yeah, so, now that you guys have all the deets, what do you want to do?"

The vibe at the table is stone cold serious, and both of my closest friends and family are staring hard at the table for a few minutes, deliberating. Caroline speaks first.

"I think... We should leave it," she whispers quietly, and both us Bennetts look up at her in question, "She's an actual threat to you guys, and if she's already a full vampire, she bit into _someone's _neck already. Vicki doesn't have any self control or emotional control, and she could seriously hurt Matt, even on accident. Not to mention, Tyler.."

I blink. I blink again. _I don't think I was ready to hear quite such a mature response from her. And she has a point about Matt and Ty. _Bonnie then looks up to me, her eyes burning with a million thoughts going a mile a minute.

"My vote is to save Vicki Donovan. We owe it to Matt and Tyler."

_Bonnie also makes a brilliant point. Shit._

Looks like it was up to me. I roll my eyes momentarily before crossing my arms, I _really _didn't wanna do this.

"Ugh, bleeding hearts of the world unite, I vote we save Vicki Donovan."

_*_

"Alright Bon, ready to learn something new?"

She nods earnestly, and I set our Great Aunt Peggy's grimoire on the table before turning back around and grabbing the handful of herbs and red candles we'll need to do this. I _knew _that around this time Vicki was gonna end up around the woods, but I didn't know _where, _so this provided an excellent opportunity to teach Bons about location spells.

Dropping all the shit on Caroline's bedroom table. I start standing up the candles on their holders before telling Bonnie, "Hey, turn that open to the Channeled Location spell. Not the regular one, since none of us have any of Vicki's DNA and I'm not asking Matt for any of his."

She nods, quickly turning through the pages of English and Latin pages, and I proceed to spill salt into a circle around our town map of Mystic Falls that we grabbed from the gas station.

"Usually," I sigh as I set up, "I'd have _you_ doing the set up so you'd know how to prep for an actualspell instead of the chants and incantations we've been practicing, but, we'll just save it for another time since we're under a time crunch."

Caroline watches us move like busy bees all over her room with a very intrigued look on her face as she rests on her beanbag. "So, this'll actually find Vicki?"

Bonnie nods, "It should. Since the instructions include me channeling Lessy, it should be really accurate. Also, since me and Lessy are so closely related, it makes channeling her a lot easier and a little stronger than a regular one."

Lighting each of the candles around the salt circle, I quickly plant sage and a couple crystals around the circle to ensure this shit won't blow up in our faces. I quickly place Vicki's school picture from last year under the map, and we're ready to go. Turning to Bons, who's reading over the grimoire, I dust off my hands.

"You ready, Bons?"

She nods resolutely, "Let's do this thing."

Caroline watches on with complete focus as I move over to Bonnie, handing her the summer camp bracelet she made me when we were 10, while she in turn gives me her favorite necklace that our Dad gave her god knows when. These would act as our talismans. We lock hands, turning towards the table.

_"Phasmatos Tribum, Nas Ex Veras, Sequitas Sanguinem," _we chant in unison, and I immediately feel Bonnie's magic attach to mine. I thought it'd feel weird, but, Bonnie's magic was a lot like her presence, and in that sense it was comfortable to me. Like two pieces of a puzzle. After the connection is made, Bonnie stretches one palm forward over the map, continuing to chant as she pulls further on my magic.

I continue to chant with a picture of Vicki in my mind, and a small flame extends from the center of the map, right above her picture. It trails like it's following a thin line of lighter fluid, burning bright, but never burning the rest of the map.

_That is, if Bonnie keeps her focus. If not, she could burn the whole map._

Eventually, the trail flares bright for a moment as it reaches a certain point within the woods.

Suddenly, an image of Vicki finally stopping her run appears to me, and she sinks onto the forest floor and begins to cry.

I blink as my eyes are suddenly back in their original position, and Bonnie turns to me urgently. "Did you see her, too?" She asks and I quickly nod in affirmation, snatching the map from off the table. The only burn mark that's on there is on the spot in the woods.

"We gotta hurry, the sun is setting already," Bons says, grabbing her jacket from behind Care's chair.

Caroline snaps out of her stupor and quickly grabs her car keys off of her side table, giving us an excited smile, "Alright, Twitches, let's go save the attention whore!"

*

We pull up to the edge of the road closest to Vicki's location. "Hey, Caroline?" I ask seriously, and she quickly turns to me in the backseat, "Make sure you're right by me and Bons the _whole _time we're out here."

She rolls her eyes and glares at me in reply, "I'm not an idiot, Aless, don't worry."

_I always worry._

We all exit the vehicle, and start climbing up the brief incline into the woods. Caroline is practically attached to my hip as we continue forward, with Bons guiding because I'm absolute shit at maps. Eventually, we hear a slight sniffle from behind a large tree.

I elbow Bonnie forward, since she's the only one of us that Vicki is impartial to, but I'm ready to spit out a spell the _second _the bitch acts up. Vicki looks up at her, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"What the hell are you doing here, Bennett?"

Bonnie sighs, before squatting down to Vick's level, eyeing her earnestly.

"_We're _here to help, Vicki. Are you okay? I know the transition is hard."

The baby vampire's eyes get harsh and defensive immediately, "Who's _we? _And how do you know what happened?"

I quickly step into Vick's line of sight, and Caroline quickly follows behind me, causing said vamp to let out a bitter laugh. "Of course, it's _fucking _Alessia and Caroline. Who else would it be?" Her glare turns to me, and I can tell she's barely controlling her rage, "I don't _need _you to save me."

I decide to take the delicate, honest route that'll appeal to her humanity the most.

"I'm aware. I'm doing this because Matt needs his sister around."

She blinks at me owlishly, as if it never occurred to her that I'd help her for Matt's sake. Her green eyes slightly soften towards me, and she looks sadly at Bonnie.

"I didn't want _this_ to happen. I'm just so _hungry_."

Bonnie nods softly, placing a gentle hand on the girl's crying shoulder. _Such a compassionate person. I wish I was this nice. _I hear a twig snap behind me, and reflexively whisper, "_Incendia_," my intention to make whoever snuck behind me be surrounded by a ring of fire.

Caroline screams and all us girls turn to see the godly Stefan Salvatore trapped in my ring. "_Goddamn it, Stefan!" _I yell at him, quickly dispelling the flames with a wave of my hand, "No one ever tell you _not_ to sneak up behind people?!"

_Totally forgot he was coming. That spell from earlier must be making me spacey._

He just stands there, not saying a word as he looks like a handsome deer in the headlights, forest green gaze shifting between me, Bonnie, Vicki, and Caroline. Bons waves her hand, trying to snap him out of it, "Earth to Stefan?"

Suddenly, Stefan looks hard at me with his pretty green eyes, "Why are you all here, Alessia?"

Not wanting to completely divulge how I knew about Vicki turning at the moment, I roll my eyes, "We're obviously here to help, Stefan. Now, let's take Vicki back to the boardinghouse. It's getting cold."

_Wait a minute, isn't Vick supposed to go full vampire at some poin-_

A gunshot rings out, and Stefan falls to the floor. As I hear the second one, I don't entirely register it. All I register is a fiery pain starting up from the joint in my shoulder. _Fuck, fuck, fuck it **hurts**!!! _I barely register falling to the ground, seeing that goddamn news anchor holding a smoking gun a few feet away.

Bonnie screams, "_LESSY!!_" And I hear Caroline scream again. I'm laying on the forest floor, trying not to cry out from the pain, but failing, when I see Vicki start inching towards me, in a complete haze of hunger.

_Double **fuck**._

Bonnie launches Logan Fell into the tree next to us, and I'm pretty sure I hear Caroline screaming for Vicki to stop, as she is fairly close to me now. I start trying to get up, _trying _to ignore the pain in my shoulder as I inch away from the baby 'not really a vampire yet' vampire. Bonnie once again flares her magic and launches Vicki across the clearing and into a stone building.

Hearing Stefan groan in pain, I turn and see Logan Fell about to turn said pretty vampire boy into a shish kebab.

That is, until the wonderful Damon Salvatore snaps his pretty teeth into the guy's neck, and I sigh gratefully. _That's one problem down, and I'm feeling less and less inclined to help the other one._

I quickly chant a spell to numb some of the pain in my shoulder, and I instantly think about how _stupid _I got in this situation. If I couldn't function proficiently while in pain, I would _never _be able to save my sister and friends, let alone myself. Not to mention, I'd be an idiot if I thought I wasn't going to get tortured at some point.

_I need to work on my pain tolerance._

Damon proceeds to dig the bullet out of Stefan, not really seeming to care if it hurt him.

"It's wood," he sighs, rolling his big blue eyes, "They _know_."

Then he glances up at the rest of us momentarily, "And, apparently, so do all of you," he says more like a question before he locks those pretty blue eyes on mine, quickly looking me over and seeing the bullet wound before he then turns back to Stefan.

"If anyone's gonna kill you, it's gonna be me. My ring?"

Stefan slowly pulls it out of his pocket, and Damon quickly slides it on his finger with a smirk and a hum. The crunch of teeth against flesh rings out, and I can't help but be grossed out as Vicki hums into Logan Fell's neck.

_Eww._

Stefan's eyes widen as he weakly tries to sit up. "_No! _No Vicki!"

_Did he want her to die? Cuz if she didn't drink that she was gonna die._

The new vampiress then looks around the woods, locking eyes with all of us, and I can feel my nose curl in disgust at how _messy _she ate. Like seriously, Damon was so clean and tidy, while she looked like she tried bobbing for apples in a pool of blood. _Where's the class?_

"I'm sorry," she says quietly, but I know she doesn't mean it. Not that I blame her for not being apologetic though. Then, she stands up and dashes further into the woods.

_The ingrate. I just took a bullet to save her ass and she just leaves. I should've voted for her to die._

Bonnie snaps out of her shock of seeing a dead body for the first time, quickly rushing over to me and running her hands through my hair.

"Oh god, Lessy! Are you _okay?_" She asks worriedly, looking at the bloodstain on my shirt. Caroline quickly follows and crouches on my other side.

"I'm so sorry, Lessy. God! We should've just let her die!" She yells, frustrated, blue eyes bright with worry and anger.

"Guys, guys," I say, starting to sit up fully, "I'm fine. We might need to do a second vote on Vicki, though."

It was a _joke_, and causes Bonnie and Caroline to bite out a laugh incredulously. The crunch of leaves next to us alerts me to Damon's presence, and Care and Bonnie both look at him with matching glares, trying to see if he's a threat.

"Calm down," he says mockingly, "I have no desire to nibble on Ally Cat, but I doubt you guys can pull that bullet out."

_Aw, man. That's really going to hurt._

They cautiously move away enough to give him room to work, but not far away enough to indicate trust. _I get why. _Damon crouches down beside me, looking at the bloody hole in my shirt, before looking at me intensely.

"If you've got any sort of witchy spell for the pain, I suggest you use it now."

_I'll practice pain tolerance another day. _I quickly whisper a small incantation to make it even less painful, nearly numbing my arm out, before giving him a quick nod to start.

It doesn't really help.

*

So, now we were all grouped up at the Salvatore boardinghouse in the early morning, me all healed up thanks to vampire blood. Caroline was sitting on the couch in the living room next to Bons, both clutching their tumblers of bourbon hard. It was probably really hard for them to bounce from regular teens to supernaturally aware ones so soon, but they were so strong in how they were dealing with it. Neither of them had broken down and cried, neither had hesitated when trying to save me.

_So, so proud._

I took another swig from my glass as both of the Salvatores walked back into the room with the missing Vicki.

"Found her!" Damon cheerfully calls out as he shoves her onto the opposite couch, smoothly pouring himself a glass before gesturing to ours, "Oh, but don't you lovely teens have to go to school?"

"Me and Bons are taking a sick day," I reply, taking another swig of the drink that I had watered down. I then turned to Caroline, "You, chica?"

She waves me off nonchalantly, but I can tell by how her shoulders are set that she's nervous about having Vicki in the room.

"Don't worry. My mom gives me five days every quarter where I can take a breather from school. This would be my second."

Vicki acts as if nothing is wrong, scoffing as she slumps further into the couch. Stefan sits across from her, and I can tell by the look on her face that she's about to annoy the shit out of me.

"I don't understand why I have to be cooped up here," she whines, "Why can't I just go home?"

Me and Care have to stifle a laugh when Bonnie glares at her, snarking, "Why do you _think_?"

Vicki rolls her eyes at her, and Stefan slips into his 'ever suffering vampire' role.

"Because you're changing, Vicki, and it's not something you want to do alone."

Damon flips through the morning newspaper, his brow furrowing as he scans it, "There's nothing about that Logan guy I killed in here, not a _word. _Someone's covering it up."

"Probably the Council," Caroline adds, helpfully, and it makes the blue eyed vampire hum thoughtfully. That would make the most sense, but I knew it wasn't the truth. The douche bag was a bonafide Dracula by now. Vicki glances back at whatever Damon is clattering in his hand.

She asks, "What's that?" And I'm once again reminded that I find her voice grating to my eardrums.

"This," he says, slightly lifting the compass, "is a very special_, _very _old_ compass. What was Logan Fell doing with it? Aren't you curious?" He glances at Stefan who in turn looks away in annoyance.

"Hey coven?" Me, Bons, and Care all glance up at the new nickname for our girl group, "Think you could figure it out for me?"

Bonnie surprises me by opening her hand in a 'pass it' motion, and Damon tosses it over to her waiting hands. She looks hard at it, frowning slightly. "It's magic, _defensive _magic, but I can't tell why it's there."

Stefan looks up from the book he had grabbed at some point, looking back at Damon, "Well, if you're so worried that somebody's onto you, why don't you just leave town, Damon?"

_Very passive aggressive. _

"Not optional, little Salvatore," I sigh, looking at my nails as he turns to look at me suspiciously.

"We should _all _be worried," Damon adds with a wolfish smirk, clearly glad that what I said had gotten under Stefan's skin.

Stefan doesn't lose his focus on me, however.

"Speaking of which, Alessia," he starts, and I already know where this is going, as he leans forward to pay full attention to me, "How'd you know that Vicki has been turned?"

_Ugh, fine._

Crossing my legs and leaning back, I eye him in a way that I hope shows I'm not scared of him at _all_, before saying, "Because, I was over here when Damon snapped her neck."

Literally everyone else in the room was aware of this fact except for Stefan, so he's the only one who is clearly bothered by it.

"And you didn't _stop _him?" He asks quietly, but nonetheless angry.

"I was plastered, Stefan. My reaction time isn't _great _when I'm wasted."

Green eyes harden at my blasé tone, and he takes a deep breath while rubbing his temples, "You decided to get completely wasted with a dangerous vampire and _also _let him use Vicki as a blood bag?"

I glare right back, "Easy there, _Clark Kent_. Technically, he saved her from dying after _you_ starved him, and he didn't drink from her the _entire _time I was there. I've had a long night, I'm tipsy, and if you keep annoying me I'll launch your ass into _that _bookcase."

_I am seriously getting fucking tired of him trying to tell me what to do._

His thick brows furrow further, his eyes soft and pleading for me to listen to him, "Alessia-!"

I swiftly lift my hand and launch his body into the book case.

Caroline gasps, and Bonnie breaks out laughing. Her laugh isn't a hundred percent genuine, but I'm guessing some of it is from the stress earlier. Vicki's eyes snap back and forth from the now ruined bookcase to me, clearly not understanding what the fuck was going on. And Damon, well, Damon had a very amused grin on his face and let out a low whistle before turning back to his newspaper.

_Gotta love magic._

_*_

**_A/n: Hey all! Hope you enjoyed the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. And to the guest who said I should've just made my character an OC and not had her be a Bennett at all if Bonnie wasn't the main character, well, I just didn't want to. If you are tired of reading from Alessia's perspective, Alessia's Guide to Surviving the Vampire Diaries is probably not the fanfic for you. I'm becoming a lot more firm in the belief that this is my story and I'll do as I please with it. Thanks to those who have been helpful and supportive in their criticism! _**


	14. Thirteen

**Nyctophilia: **_def. _love of darkness or night; finding relaxation or comfort in darkness

Chapter 12: Stab Me In the Eye, Please.

Caroline moves to use me and Bonnie as a headrest and footrest as Stefan dusts himself off. He doesn't look angry anymore, he looks more or less calm, maybe even pensive. Vicki is clearly still very confused, but decides not to push her brain too far, instead looking up at Stefan and clearly about to whine about something else.

"Hey, um, I'm hungry. Do you have anything to eat?"

Caroline rolls her pretty blue eyes, clearly irritated with Vicki's commentary as well. Stefan takes it in stride however, quickly walking over to the table and grabbing a mug of what I assume is animal blood with the way the elder Salvatore scoffs.

"Here," Stefan says, handing the cup to her gently.

She looks at it with a raised eyebrow before looking back up at him, "What is it?"

"It's what you're craving," is his cryptic answer, and both me and Bons have to stifle either a scoff or a laugh, not sure which. Damon groans slightly, not even looking up from the newspaper.

"Don't lie to the girl. _That_ is _so_ not what you're craving. But, it'll do in a pinch, right, Stef?" The Eternal Stud asks, coyly.

"What is it?" Baby Vamp asks.

Damon smirks, "Yeah! What is it? Is it skunk? Saint Bernard? _Bambi?_"

"Go on," Stefan gently says, like she's a child, "Give it a try."

Vick takes a sip, and by her face I already know, if I end up a vampire, I am _not _doing the 'vegetarian' route. I can't even do that in real life.

_Speaking of which, once I'm sober, burgers._

"She's _new,_" Damon inserts, "She needs _people _blood. She can't sustain on that stuff."

Bonnie sighs, "Thank god, for a second there, I thought 'blood' was some word you guys couldn't say in social circles." I raised an eyebrow as Care chuckled on my lap.

_She has a point._

"Yeah," Vicki starts obstinately, "Why can't I have people blood?"

"Because," I interrupt, feeling just a bit salty, "Misery loves company."

Damon barks out a laugh, and Stefan looks at me like I'm the devil incarnate before turning back to Vicki, "Because it's _wrong _to prey on innocent people, Vicki."

The eye roll that me and Damon share is _powerful. _Damon shakes his head at his brother's idiotic logic, "You don't have to _kill _to feed. Just find someone really tasty and then erase their memory afterwards. It's _so _easy."

"No, no, no. There's no guarantee that you can control yourself, okay? It takes _years _to learn that. You could easily _kill _somebody, and then you have to live with that for the rest of your life, which, if I haven't made _clear_, is eternity," Green eyes bore into Vicki, clearly urging her to choose the most difficult path.

"And the best way to teach her, _Stefan, _is to slowly get her used to the thirst and train her self control on the regular stuff, not start off with decaf," Bons argues, "No offense, Vicki, but Stefan, she doesn't have _great _self control as it is. Trying to get her on your strict diet when she's already predisposed to being 'ripperish' even as a human is a _terrible _idea."

_You tell him, Bons._

Caroline nods, closing her eyes as I start running my hands through her hair, "Yeah, Stefan. No offense, but if you guys are trying to keep her a vegan vamp, I don't want to help. She'll end up either killing someone or dying. It'd be a total waste at the risk of _our _lives."

I glance up at Stefan, and his eyes are hard and defiant on mine. There was no way he was going to actually _think _about this and change his mind. His way of life is unsustainable even for _him, _but he s too stubborn to realize it. I glance over at Bonnie, and find she's already looking at me with sad eyes.

_Fine then, he can learn the hard way._

"I, Alessia Bennett, hereby call for a renewed vote by the war council. A or B?"

Simultaneously, they glance at Stefan and Vicki before looking back at me, both replying, "B."

_Well, that's that._

Both pretty men and Vicki look at us three in confusion before Stefan snaps back to the issue at hand.

"Hey, look at me," Stefan says to a rapidly more disinterested Vicki, "We choose our own path. Our _values _and our _actions, _they define who we are."

I can't help but groan at Stefan's overwhelming cheesiness, "Good life lesson, Mr. Rogers, but it doesn't apply when there's no moral ramifications for the alternative option."

"_Ooookay, _Count Deepak. I am out of here," Damon says in a fake happy tone, before turning his sharp blue eyes on me petting Caroline, "You coming?"

I'm a little flattered at the invite, but I shake my head, "Nah, Care owes me a milkshake, so we'll leave as soon as we're sober. Not to mention, we brought her car."

He shrugs, heading out of the room, and I sigh. _We shouldn't have drank this much, I don't wanna be here._

I can tell the sentiment is shared by my two besties by the sour looks on their faces. Vicki then licks the rim of her cup, looking back up at Stefan.

"Can I have some more?"

_Ugh._

And then, as if the universe itself decided today was 'Shit On Alessia' Day, I hear the one voice I specifically _do not _want to hear bright and early in the fucking morning.

"Stefan?" Elena calls out, and I see Bons tense up out of the corner of my eye. Caroline opens one cornflower blue eye and sighs in exasperation, throwing her arm over her face dramatically, before moaning, "_Noooooooooo._"

Stefan exits the room, and I look over to check on Bonnie.

"You gonna be okay, Bons?"

She nods firmly, "Yeah, I've been putting it off, might as well get it over with."

Caroline throws her arm back off her face, "Have you mentioned the witch stuff to her yet?"

"Yeah," she sighs, closing her olive eyes tiredly and taking another large sip of bourbon, "But I'm pretty sure she wasn't taking me seriously."

Vicki decides to insert herself in a specifically three way conversation, "Wait, you guys are _witches? _I thought that was just the town joke."

I roll my eyes, choosing to ignore her so we don't fight, "Well, she'll take you seriously now. I'm gonna need another drink for this."

Suddenly, Vicki leaves the room, probably hearing Stefan and Elena shit talk her. I hear several sets of footsteps approaching the room, and I make with pouring myself a _large _drink. I'm like an inch from the top of the glass tumbler when Vicki stomps in, followed closely by Stefan. Finally, Elena walks in, and she licks eyes with me first, causing me to take a large swig of the drink in preparation.

"_Alessia?" _She asks, clearly extremely confused, "What are you doing here?"

I shrug as her large doe eyes start scanning the room, widening comically when they see Bonnie and Caroline in the room. She frantically looks back and forth between us and Vicki before nervously saying, "Oh my god, Bonnie, Caroline, you _need_ to get out of here!"

_Not me? Rude._

Both Bons and Care look in shock at Elena being _very_ aware of what's happened to Vicki. I see them start to connect the dots that Elena has been aware of vampires for a hot minute, and she just hadn't told them about it. In all fairness, neither had they though, so.. yeah.

"Elena," Bonnie starts slowly, pushing Caroline's legs off before standing up a little wobbly, she was boozy after all, "Me and Caroline already know."

Her dark brown eyes won't quit blinking as Doppelena starts pacing a bit, clearly not processing the information.

"W-wait. So, you guys knew all along?" She asks, a judgmental crease appearing between her brows, and I sigh.

"Calm down, Elena. The only one who's known about the supernatural from the get go is me. Care and Bons only learned very recently because I told them. I should also mention for time's sake that me and Bonnie are both full blown witch bitches."

Doppelena then sets her gaze on me, clearly furious, "And you didn't think to tell me?!"

I squint at her, clearly confused by her logic, "Why _would _I tell you? I don't like you."

"I'm aware, _Alessia,_" she sneers back, "It's called 'human decency'!"

"Must've gotten lost in the mail," I reply boredly, promptly lifting Care's head back up so I can sit down again. It isn't even _entertaining _to argue with Elena Gilbert. The girl is a perpetual 'fun' black hole.

Elena rolls her big brown eyes before turning sharply back to Bonnie and Caroline.

"And why didn't you guys tell me?" She asks, clearly hurt, "You're supposed to be my _friends_."

Cue an eye roll from me as Bons sighs, "Probably for the same reason _you _didn't, Elena. I was still trying to get you warmed up to the idea of me being a witch, _remember?_"

Elena blinks back at her reasoning being thrown back at her face, before looking towards Care, who drunkenly waves her off, "Don't _even_, Elena. We aren't on speaking terms at the moment."

_Told ya she holds grudges._

Elena sighs, clearly exasperated and worried, before looking at Stefan for a sign or something that this was all a joke. Meanwhile, said Salvatore was looking at me with a clearly frustrated expression, mixed with something deeper. Anger, disappointment, fear, something positive, who knows?

"Let's all talk downstairs. We can discuss everything more comfortably in there," he finally says after a beat of silence, and Caroline turns and groans into my stomach.

"Of _course _I have to get up right after I got my pillow back," she mumbles into my stomach, and despite my foul mood, I laugh.

*

So, here we all were, a veritable Losers Club each with a cup of coffee. Me, Care, and Bons all sipped our coffee in silence, no longer caring about the entire Vicki situation. We'd only hung out with her for a few hours, but were entirely ready to not do it again. I didn't care whether she survived or not, I just prayed that if she _did _she'd be shipped far, _far _away, because otherwise, she'd be somewhat part of the Goof Troop and I had no inclination to see her on _that _regular of a basis.

"Coffee is our friend," Stefan says delicately to a more obstinate Vick, "It's the caffeine, it circulates through our veins, and it warms our body so we're not so cold to the touch."

_Must be the same for alcohol, Damon's chest was toasty when I cuddled into it. Mmm... Damon's chest.._

Vicki groans, taking me out of my delicious daydream, "Well, what if I _want_ to drink human blood?"

"You can't," I say while taking a long sip, not looking at Stelena as they snap their eyes towards me, "It'll offend Elena and Stefan's delicate sensibilities."

Elena scoffs, "Just because _you_ don't have any morals, doesn't mean she shouldn't."

I roll my eyes, and Caroline responds for me, Queen Bee 'nice' voice and all.

"Totally, instead we'll just _force _her to follow your morals! I'm sure that won't backfire. Might make her a little two-faced, though."

Elena scoffs, folding her arms, and I can't stop the satified grin that works up on my face. Stefan soon turns back to Vicki, "You're gonna have to learn to live with that urge and fight it on a daily basis, one day at a time."

Bonnie suddenly stands up from her seat, glaring hard at Stefan, "This is _stupid_, and I'm sober enough to where I don't need to listen to you feed this girl anymore bullshit. Vicki is already an addict, and you're doing the one thing that _isn't _going to help her because you're too prideful to listen to your brother. Come on, guys, we're leaving."

_There's that Bennett brutal honesty._

Elena stands up as well, reaching for Bonnie's arm, and I glare at her when she pulls my sister back, looking at Bons nearly pleadingly.

"Bon, Stefan has lived like this for a _long _time and he hasn't hurt anyone," _Yeah, right, _"He can teach her how to live without being a monster like Damon."

Bonnie looks sadly at her best friend, slowly pulling her arm away, "You don't know that, Elena. Stefan's way of life is unsustainable for vampires and requires an insane amount of willpower to do for even a short amount of time. He's living off of the human equivalent of wheatgrass, and he'll fall off the wagon again someday. And I'm going to be so _sad _for you when that happens, Elena."

Then, she turns and walks out of the dining room. Me and Care set our coffee cups down, the latter smiling at Stefan and Vicki.

"Thanks for the coffee, Stefan! Best of luck, Vicki! I'll tell your brother you're okay." Then, she promptly files out.

I shove my hands in my pockets, starting to walk away, but stop and turn to Vicki.

"Vicki, my phone number is on the upstairs table. If you need help, _call._" And with that, I turn to walk to the car and, by god, hopefully get a burger.

_That's the last branch of good will I'm extending to her. If she dies, she dies._

_*_

"Alessia! If you don't hurry up in there I'm gonna piss myself!" Bons yells through Caroline's bathroom door. Finishing off rinsing the dye out of my hair, I quickly wrap it in a towel.

"Hang on! It was hard to rinse out this color!" I yell back, trying to throw on my sweats and tank top over the towel, and not doing a very good job of it. Finally, I shrug it on before yanking open the door, promptly being shoved out of the way by a Bonnie who looks like she's about to _actually _wet herself.

_I thought she was just being dramatic._

Suddenly, Care barrels out of her bedroom, fully dressed in a sexy Queen of Hearts costume.

"_LET ME SEE!" _She yells before promptly yanking off my towel headdress and making my 'still somewhat dyed' curls hit my tank top, and I _know _it's ruined forever. She gasps excitedly and I, in turn, shrug defeatedly.

"Look what you _did_, chica! Now my favorite beat up tank is gonna have weird orange spots."

That's right, I've gone full-on ginger. She seems to think on it for a moment before snapping her fingers, "Oh! I know what it looks like! You have penny colored hair!"

I raise an eyebrow at how _blonde _that sounded, "You mean _copper_?"

She smacks me on the shoulder, grumbling about how I knew what she meant before shoving one of her shopping bags from yesterday into my hands. "You can thank me later," she says before taking off like a butterfly down her staircase. I glance inside the bag, seeing pieces for an angel costume within.

_I swear I love that woman, she understands that I love the irony of the **opposite**, unlike SOMEONE I know._

*

We strut into the neon Halloween party, and I feel my excitement grow. The amount of cockiness I feel at the moment is slowly growing, because the more I look around the crowded party, the more I realize that we are _literally _the finest pieces of ass this town has to offer.

_Jesus, I'm so vain._

We walk around a bit before we see anyone we actually like, 'anyone' being Matt and Tyler. Ty is in a Roman or Greek costume, who knows, I'm not cultured. And Matt is wearing... the exact same couples costume he wore with Elena last year.

_Oof. _

"Hey, guys!" Tyler yells, clearly buzzed already as he throws an arm over me and Caroline. He looks over at Caroline momentarily, "Now, _your _costume makes sense, Caroline," then, he turns to me, "But _yours _makes absolutely no sense whatsoever."

I smack him on the chest, "Oh, shut up. I can be _nice_."

Everyone else looks at me like I've spoken gibberish, and I roll my eyes.

"Whatever."

Matt turns to us with kind, but worried eyes, and I feel a bit of guilt already swirling in my stomach. It's making me a bit glad that I had given Vick a last chance.

"Hey, have you guys heard anything from Vicki? She acted super weird at the house and I'm worried."

Caroline gives him her most reassuring smile, and I'm surprised at how genuine it looks, "Don't worry, Matt. She's just trying to get clean. It's a _good _thing."

Matt smiles warmly back at her, and it makes me happy to see the people I actually give a shit about happy. Suddenly, Vicki comes up to our circle, Stefan and Elena close behind her. She barely pays attention to Tyler, instead looking to me and Matt.

Stefan and Elena also rapidly join the group, firmly keeping their eyes on Vicki. Said baby vampire looks around nervously, before saying, "I _told _you both to quit bothering me!"

She then grabs my arm and starts pulling me away, perfectly gently considering that she has super vampire strength at the moment. I see the rest of the gang barricading Stelena off as Vicki guides me down a purple hallway. Vicki stops us, looking desperately into my eyes, "I need your help, Alessia. I can't _do _it. I can't live off of animal blood! It's not _enough._"

I raise my arms in an attempt to get her to relax, "Okay, okay, calm down. We can figure something out. But, first thing's first, we need to get you the _hell _out of town. No offense, you don't have to stay gone forever, but you need someone to show you the ropes somewhere you won't be recognized. This town has a council that does _not _like vampires, and you _will _die if you get caught here."

She nods slowly, "Can I take Jeremy with me?"

I raise my eyebrow, "The dork is fifteen. Someone is going to put out a missing kid poster, probs Elena, so I wouldn't recommend it. But, if you want to, you can try, I'm not your mom."

Vicki deliberates for a second, before I see her perk up, grabbing me once again and leading me further into the maze of hallways, "You're right. I can't have cops trying to chase after me anymore than they probably will."

_Oh, I get it. _She just likes having a choice. Like any other bratty teen, if you force her to do something, she'll do the _worst_ thing she can do out of spite.

_How stupid. _

She then let's go of my arm at an intersection. "I can hear Jeremy down this way, I want to say goodbye. Meet me over by the buses in five?"

"Of course."

She jets off down the neon green hallway covered in spider webs and I heave a sigh.

This was going to be a lot of effort.

*

So, I go open the back door to go outside at exactly five minutes, and lo and behold, Stefan is about to pierce a very vampy looking Vicki, who happens to be latched onto Elena's neck, with a sharp pointy stick. I quickly throw my hand out to move him away from properly staking Vicki, before whispering a quick, "_Incendia,"_ which lights said vampiress' hand on fire.

She yelps out in pain, quickly releasing Elena to pat her hand off, before turning to look at me venomously.

"Don't you _fucking _dare, Vicki. I just saved your ass from being impaled on a stick, but if you jump at me I won't hesitate to kill you myself," I threaten, and I see her veins slowly disappear as she gets a small handle on her emotions.

She looks down apathetically at Elena who's holding her still bleeding neck, and then at Stefan who apparently had accidentally impaled himself in the stomach when he got sent back to the wall.

"You guys are no help at all," she says before spitting out some of Elena's blood on the floor and walking over towards me. Jeremy looks _very _freaked out, but not nearly as freaked out as he did in my memories when Vick had died.

I dust off my hands, glancing over at Stefan, "You guys _clearly _don't have the handle on this that you thought you did. I'll take care of _this, _you take care of _that,_" I gesture towards Jeremy shivering on the floor.

And with that, we left, told Matt she was going to rehab, and I promptly threw her onto a cross country bus to New Orleans. They had a _shit _ton of vampires under Marcel, and I sincerely doubted they'd be upset about teaching a pretty baby vamp the lay of the land. Not to mention, it was a touristy place, so even if she _did _fuck up, it'd stay relatively hush hush.

Vicki Donovan gave me a warm smile as she left.

_I think she forgives me for being a homewrecking slut._

_*_

**_A/n: So, I let Vicki live! Matt doesn't get a lot of wins, so I figured I'd let this one slide. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for all the comments!! Love you guys._**


	15. Fourteen

**Misanthrope: **_def. _a person who dislikes humankind and avoids human society

Chapter 14: The News Is For Sheep.

Thanks to my awesome moves over the last couple weeks, things stayed relatively quiet for a few days.

I didn't save Lexi. Nothing too major would go wrong if she died, at best, all she could do was help when Stefan fell off the wagon. So, despite the fact that the Lexi I saw in my memories seemed super cool, I decided to pass.

I wasn't here to save everyone. Although it was a very nice idea, the execution would be extremely difficult, and, as lame as it sounds, I'm inherently lazy. I don't like having to get up and do so much stuff, and considering I already had a sizeable amount of shit to do to just save four people, maybe even just the three, I had no problem not adding anything or anyone more to my plate.

And so, all was quiet for a few days. Went to school, cheer, did the normal teen song and dance. Bons still hadn't reached out to Grams, and I didn't blame her. We both had very deep seeded abandonment issues, and Grams had successfully managed to flare up Bonnie's insecurities to the point where I didn't know when they'd actually make up, or if they even would.

Stefan's birthday bash came and went, Caroline choosing to throw the party at the Grill of her own accord after Damon had mentioned it to her. I hadn't seen him, so I guessed that he was gonna go through with that Twilight thing of 'I'm gonna leave you to keep you safe, even though this town is a breeding ground for supernatural activity and you're a unique human who's constantly in danger.'

Really, it's almost unoriginal how much Twilight resembled this hot mess. Except, I liked Bella a lot more than Elena.

And then there was Alaric Saltzman. Badass vampire hunter with an immortal ring who also happened to be a great history teacher. He was also something that happened over the last couple days, and honestly, I was quite psyched to have him here. He was super chill in my memories, and I had been super excited to meet the dude. Unfortunately, I had to take a sick day. Seriously, I was just so tired from the constant run around of the last week that I caught a gnarly fever.

So, now, here I am. Slowly wasting away in Caroline's guest bedroom and waiting for death.

That'd actually be hilarious if what kills me in this town is a fucking cold.

I smile despite myself and continue to watch A Goofy Movie with a cold rag on my forehead. At least, I was, until I heard a knock at the door, unsurprised to see Liz Forbes, but very surprised to see one Stefan Salvatore behind her. His warm green eyes appraise me worriedly, and I can't help but wonder how the hell he got an invite in.

_Oh, duh, Caroline._

"Hey, Alessia. You doing okay in here, sweetie? Need anything?" She asks softly, and it softens my opinion of her slightly.

Don't get me wrong, she was a neglectful parent. Never snuck care any vervain, never tried too hard to get to know her daughter. But, I could respect that she hadn't abandoned Caroline like her dad did, that put her more in the 'impartial' category for me.

I nod, grabbing a sip of my water bottle, "I'm fine. I'll probably be all good by tomorrow." _If my spell works the way I want._

She nods, and turns to gesture to Stefan, "He came over to check on you. Let me know if you guys need anything."

Liz exits the guest bedroom promptly, closing the door behind her as she goes. I turn my attention to the adorable younger Salvatore that I'm still slightly irritated with.

"Aw, Stefan," I sigh dramatically, "Come to see me on my death bed?"

He very clearly has to fight off a chuckle, opting for a smile instead, but his eyes are very sad. And that's saying something if _I _can see it, I'm garbage at reading other people's emotions.

_Of course he is, his best friend died. Maybe talking about it will help him cope. I'm so nice._

"What's wrong, Stef? You look upset."

Green eyes widen as if I wasn't supposed to notice, before slowly softening as he walks further into the room, sitting on the opposite bottom corner of the bed. As his weight settles on the mattress, he looks down at his hands, his broad shoulders slumped, and I don't think I've ever seen a man look so defeated. _Great, now I feel bad. I can't be mad when I pity him._

"It's been a rough couple days," he replies quietly, "but, I came here for two reasons."

I raise an eyebrow at that. "Well, the least you can do is look at me while you talk to me," I say teasingly, "I'm _ill._"

Stefan turns, handsome smirk on his face.

"You're right, it was rude of me."

I pat the bed space next to me, inviting him to sit up against the headboard, and he does. Ignoring the increased thumping of my heart, and look at him softly, "Lay it on me. What's got you in a tizzy?"His pretty green eyes are very deep and very _heartbreaking _and I actually start to regret not getting up and saving Lexi. I could've spared him some pain considering what all was to come.

_No. No time to think like that. The decisions I make are best left as alone and final. If I start heaping guilt onto myself, I won't stop and I'll spiral, and I don't have the time or resources to do that._

"I wanted to say that I'm sorry, Alessia."

Huh?

Stefan smiles in a self deprecating kinda way, leaning his brownish blondish head back against the headboard, "You were entirely right about Vicki. I almost _killed _her after I didn't guide her correctly, and you came in and completely stole the show. Fixed all my mistakes. And you didn't even _ask _for anything in return."

I shake my head at his logic, taking another sip of my water bottle, "Duh, Stefan. I don't _need _anything from you."

He chuckles good naturedly, and I can't stop the shivers that go up and down my arms at the sound.

"Of course you don't. You don't need anything from anybody."

With a smile, I playfully hit him on the shoulder, "_Now _you're starting to get it, Stefan."

His gaze shifts in its intensity, and it looks almost affectionate the way forest green eyes nearly become overwhelming. _How does he even do that? _A small smile appears, warming Stefan's statuesque face.

"Yeah, I think I am."

The next few moments of eye contact are some of the most intimate moments I've ever shared in my entire life. I feel like he's literally digging and trying to find something in my gaze. It's not only super duper embarrassing, it feels almost invasive, but I can't look away.

_Oh god oh god oh god so pretty can't breathe-!!_

I KNOW HOW TO FIX THIS!

"So, how's Elena?"

And just like that, tension is gone, he looks away, and Alessia can once again take in oxygen to her rapidly dying brain cells. He looks at A Goofy Movie playing on my tv, taking a deep breath before sighing, "I'm leaving."

"Because of the Council? Or..?"

"Damon. He, uh, killed a good friend of mine a couple days ago, and it's becoming too dangerous. Specifically _for _Elena."

I nod, "Ohhhh, gotcha. You taking D with you or what?"

"He'll most likely follow. His greatest joy in life is to cause me suffering, and he can't do that if he stays here."

I can't help but roll my eyes a bit, and Stefan looks over at me in question, "What?"

"I just don't _get _you guys. For two brothers who hate each other so much, you both spend a ton of time together. If I'm honest..," I pause, batting away the idea literally with my hand, "You know what, never mind. My honesty has been exceedingly brutal as of late. Think it's the stress."

"No," Stefan stops my train of thought by grabbing hold of my batting hand, causing my heart to ricochet off into oblivion, and I _know _my face is getting red. _Oh GOD HE CAN PROBABLY **HEAR** **IT-**_

_"_Please," he asks so _sweetly_, and I wonder how Elena ever tells him no. _Does she? _"Blunt honesty would be nice after dealing with Damon's political way of telling the truth, lately," a small warm grin spreads across his cheeks.

"Ughhh, fine," I groan, "I don't know if I think you guys actually _can _hate each other. I think you're both very _angry _with each other, and you have no good reason to want the other in your life, but, you always end up back together. Like, I think if Damon actually hated you, he'd have killed you by now. My theory is that you've both done so many unforgivable things to each other that even though you both _want _to move on from it, you don't know _how, _so you both just fuck with each other for eternity."

Stefan Salvatore blinks once. Then, twice. Then, he bursts out with hearty laughter. It makes me jump at how abrupt it is, especially since I wasn't trying to be funny, but he keeps going until I start to giggle at the absurdity of it. Unfortunately, this was poor decision making on my part because I start coughing and hacking all over the throw blanket.

He looks over at me worriedly, "Alessia, if you want I can give you some of my blood. It should fix you pretty quickly."

I continue doing that annoying baby cough thing as I try to say, "That's awful.. sweet of you... Stefan, yeah."

Like two minutes later, I felt better than I had in a while.

*

_Ugh. Career Night is sincerely just a dick sucking contest for the Founding families._

I walk around with my eyes peeled, waiting for that douchebag newsman to appear so I could properly thank him for shooting me. If I'm honest, didn't know if I wanted to kill him just yet, but I _did _know that I would be making his brain vessels pop at least three times. Since he was a new vampire, it'll be an entirely new experience.

_Ew, I'll be popping his proverbial magic cherry._

Tyler suddenly strides over to me, clearly looking an odd combo of frustrated and confused.

"Alessia, I don't know what's wrong with me, but I feel like decking every loser's face in this _fucking_ hallway."

_Oh yeah, full moon._

I gently take hold of his broad shoulders as his eyes frantically scan the room, "Ty. _Ty. _Look at me."

Black eyes meet mine, and I see the stress and underlying fear in there, fear that he'll actually really _hurt _someone. I give a small comforting smile, starting to rub into his shoulders to release some of the tension, "Everything's going to be _fine_, Ty. Just focus on staying _calm_, deep breaths. Find that spot in your mind where everything, and every_one_ is quiet."

He closes his eyes, jaw tight tight, and inhales deeply. I breathe with him for several seconds before he opens his pretty dark eyes, definitely more focused and less manic. My hands slip off his shoulders, instead perching on my hips.

"Does this have anything to do Dickhead Dad being here?" I ask, and from the coldness that settles in his gaze, I assume I'm right.

"He's acting like I'm a complete _weakling _because I won't beat up Little Gilbert."

_Wait, that already happened?! Did I space out or something? OH SHIT, **CAROLINE**!_

"Tyler, this is _extremely _important, have you seen Caroline anywhere?" I ask urgently. If she had already left_..._

"Oh, I saw her walk out just a minute ago, why?"

I don't answer, I just rush past him and start _running._

_Fuck, fuckity fuck, Caroline!!_

I'm suddenly pulled back by someone grabbing my arm, and angrily turn to beat the shit out of them when I'm greeted by the worried eyes of Stefan Salvatore.

"Alessia?" He asks quietly, "What's wrong?"

Instead of answering, I pull on his arm. "Call Damon _now. _That _bastard_ has _Caroline_."

He doesn't flinch, doesn't panic, just nods and lets me pull him. _Stefan actually trusts my judgement._

_No time to think of that now. _

And with that, we head outside, and the younger Salvatore speeds us into the night, trailing after their scent to save my blonde best friend.

*

When we arrive on the corner of Elm Street, Damon has already stopped the car and yanked the news reporting bastard out of the car. He pulls out a gun, and shoots Logan Fell in the chest several times with a wolfish grin on his face.

"Payback's a _bitch, _isn't it?"

As I hop off of Stefan's back, very much enjoying the sound of Logan's agonized screams, I rush over to the passenger side. Care has a large gash on her forehead, and I immediately feel a large tumble of absolute _fury _roll through my stomach.

Logan's screams turn into one's of utter torture, but I don't really notice. In fact, it kinda feels like I'm floating on the magic I'm feeling rush through my body, kinda like caffeine. I don't see much anymore, just _feel_. I feel nature breathing all around me, I hear the hum of deep within the earth, feel the wind around me bend to my will. It feels _exactly _how it felt when my magic first turned on.

And then, I'm pulled out by a harsh pain against my face. I blink hard, and in front of me is Stefan, clearly extremely worried. I quickly look around and see that not only is Caroline safe on the pavement, but the vehicle itself has been flipped over. Unfortunately, the only thing Logan Fell has lost is an arm, which is hanging limply off of a mailbox.

_Whoops._

I turn around and see Damon looking at me, eyes very _wild _looking, "Take Caroline and you two get the _hell _out of here before the cops show up."

I quickly nod, brushing off my immature and very _emotional _reaction with a sheepish grin and a quick, "My bad. Sorry, not sorry about the arm, Fell."

Said asshole glares at me bitterly, and it's the last thing I see before me and Care are shoved up over Stefan's broad shoulders and blurred away.

*

**_A/n: Hey all! Hope you've been well this December and are enjoying the story. Thanks for all the love and helpful comments, I love reading them! _**

**_Happy Holidays!_**

**_*_**


	16. Fifteen

**Petrichor: **_def. _the scent of rain on dry earth

Chapter 15: When Did I Become A Therapist?

There was a witch and two vampires all in a boardinghouse, sitting quietly in front of a fireplace. After dropping Caroline off, Stefan took me back here, presumably because I still looked pretty pissed.

_Or maybe they just like my company!_

_Probably not._

I guessed that Damon would most likely lie about killing Logan Fell, hoping to get further info out of him about Fell's Church and the tomb altogether like in my memories. He'd probably be a very sore loser once he went and found him dead. But, until then, I sat, both brothers giving me _major _questioning side eye.

I'll admit, I might've gone a little cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs earlier, but that was just what happened if you provoked a powerful emotional response from _any _witch, just a little _heightened_. I'm _still _not in the best of moods after letting Caroline be taken by that douche nozzle. Just like Bonnie and the car at Sexy Suds, I was very susceptible to my emotions, specifically anger, and was trained in not letting it get the best of me most of the time.

Training for me had started from much younger, and therefore the magic within my body had to be sufficient enough to kickstart my magical puberty, and _that_ had been at a very similar level to where Bonnie is now. I've had a _lot _of time to work on my emotional control, while Bons has only just begun. Bonnie also has been showing signs of being stronger than she had begun in my memories, but she didn't have near the strength she'd develop in the future, very much a drop in the bucket.

To make a long story short, magic makes your emotions volatile, and the more powerful you are as a witch, the more control it takes not to throw a big ol' witch fit every time you feel something strongly. I, for one, hadn't been that angry since Tyler blew out my candles at my fifth birthday party, or gotten close since Elena asked Matt to Homecoming after Care told her how much she liked him.

The latter was a much more messy affair than the former, with a massive storm _suddenly _coming to Mystic Falls the day of Homecoming and completely washing everyone out for the evening. Anyway, back to me in the study with two vamps.

_Sounds like Clue._

"Wanna tell us what _that _was all about, Aly Cat?" Damon asks as he crosses his long legs in the chair beside me, "It was very hard to come up with an excuse as to how I had his _arm._"

I glare playfully at him, "Don't lie, D. You probably just pegged it on the shitty little baby vampire. You probably spun the arm out to make you sound better to the Council."

A small, knowing grin spreads on his darkly handsome face, "True. Now spill the beans."

Stefan parks his cute butt over onto the couch across from us, glancing between me and the fireplace with an unreadable expression, and I sigh.

"Look, I'm a possessive person by nature. I don't like people touching or hurting those I've put under my protection. So, being the bratty teen I am, I threw a bit of a fit over seeing Care Bear hurt. Same thing would've happened if _you _had touched any of the Fantastic Four."

Damon smirks at the nickname, but Stefan is clearly confused. Asking with his big pretty green eyes for me to explain, I groan, "Ugh, Stef, no need for the puppy dog eyes. It's just the terms of me and D's business arrangement. I help him with something, he doesn't snack on four people."

Forest eyes grow slightly darker at the explanation, "Only four?"

I shrug, not really caring to explain why my list was so tiny. With a small smile, I stand up, "So, am I free to go home now, officers? Or do you need more testimony?"

Suddenly, there's a sharp knock on the door. _Ughh, what now?_ Stefan gets up to answer, and judging by Damon's derisive chuckle, I can guess that once again I've been cornered by my least favorite person in Mystic Falls.

Elena Gilbert strides into the house, clearly a woman on a mission, when her doe eyes narrow harshly at me. She pretty much speed walks over, clearly very angry, and I perk an eyebrow up at Stefan who looks vaguely concerned for the doppelgänger's welfare.

"How _could_ you, Alessia?! Caroline trusted you!" She yells in my face, and I roll my eyes at her dramatics.

"What the hell are you going on about, Elena?" God, she truly did manage to suck the enjoyment out of the room. _Profound._

"Aren't you some hot shit witch? How did you not know Caroline was in danger? She's your _best friend!"_

_What?_

"Gilbert, I'm pretty sure Bonnie has told you that being a witch doesn't make us all knowing. I didn't _know _because I'm not an _omniscient _god."

She crosses her arms, cocky, and clearly thinking that she has a one up on me.

"Bons said she had a vision of the night Mr. Tanner went missing, and that she thought it was a warning."

_Idiot._

"Alright, I'm going to say this once, and then you need to get the fuck out of my face before I _give _you something to be pissed about," I say, standing up to meet her eye level coldly, "Not all witches are gifted in the same areas, it's not a copy paste function that nature spits out. It's a very _snowflake_ experience, there's not one quite like the other. Bonnie's magic is in a trial period to see what _she's _good at, and that's why she's only ever had one vision. This isn't That's So Raven, I can't see into the future."

_Well, that's a complete lie, I just wasn't aware of how late it was._

Elena's eyes are still hard on mine, but I can tell that it's mostly because she's not my biggest fan. Her eyes cut to the left at where Damon is sitting, watching the confrontation with rapt attention and curious amusement.

Whether it's at the current argument, my cold attitude towards Doppelena, or the slight look of embarrassment and anger on the latter's face, I'm unsure.

_Well, he's certainly not going to stop a cat fight._

Stefan's hand gently grabs Elena's, slowly pulling her away from my personal bubble that she'd breached.

"I understand you're upset about Caroline, but Alessia is not to blame for this. Logan Fell is the one who tried to hurt her," he says gently, as if she won't understand unless the truth is spoon fed to her. _Maybe she wouldn't. _In my memories, anytime impactful news wasn't broken in an easy manner to be doppelgänger, she either ignored it or got extremely emotional about it.

And that might be another reason I don't like her very much. She had her strong moments, but they were almost _always_ at the worst possible time. It was like she aspired to be a 'heroine' cliche, forever protected by two handsome brothers while simultaneously throwing herself into harms way to save everyone else, and also having literally everyone else throw themselves into harms way to stop her.

It's not her fault she's the weakest supernatural occurrence out there, but it should've been more important for her to acknowledge that everyone could _die _for her if she wasn't careful. So is the sway of the charm Petrova doppelgängers carry.

Rolling my eyes, I turn to Damon. I didn't know if Stefan and Elena were going to boink or not, but if they were, I didn't want to be here for it. Who knows? Maybe I'll get lucky and Elena won't find Katherine's picture after all I've done to change things. No offense to her, but it wouldn't be convenient for me time wise. And by 'wouldn't be convenient', I mean she'd annoy me to high heaven with her clone angst.

"Damon, mind giving me a lift? I'm starving."

Standing up and grabbing his keys, he nods, "Yeah, come on, Ally Cat. Let's go get you a milkshake."

_YAY!!!!_

*

"What the_ hell _are you doing?"

I stop mid-dip of my fry into my chocolate milkshake, looking up into offended blue eyes, "I know you're a vamp and all, but _eating _isn't a foreign concept to you, right?"

Damon pops a fry in his mouth to spite me, before gesturing to my chocolate dipped French fry, "_That _is a culinary blasphemy."

Rolling my eyes and laughing, I point the fry at him, "Don't knock it till you try it, D..."

He squints at me and looks at me as if he doesn't know whether I'm trying to poison him or not. I raise a challenging brow at him, which earns me an adorable huff and an eye roll before he bites it straight from my hand.

Wiping a stray drop of milkshake from the corner of his mouth before provocatively licking it from his thumb, I have to try to make sure my poor little teenage heart doesn't burst in my chest. A cocky grin takes it's rightful place on his face, and I feel a pout working on mine.

"Your little ticker is thumping _awful _hard there, Aly Cat. Don't tell me you have a crush on me?"

"Easy there, D," I reply wryly, dipping another fry and happily noticing that he dips his as well, "After all, we _were _lovers for like a week. I think I reserve the right to admire."

Damon leans forward, looking intensely into my eyes. I already know I'm blushing so I just glare at him. _How dare he mess around with me! The nerve. _He grabs my hand as I nervously reach to eat another fry, smirking, "You could do _more _than admire. Try being lovers for real?"

His large hand runs over mine gently before I yank it away.

"I don't think so, D. You're spoken for, and as cute as you are, I don't need some jealous vampire chick coming to mount me on a pike because I banged her beau."

Damon smirks as if I've issued a challenge, and is about to speak again, when his phone rings. Looking at the I.D. with annoyance, he answers, "Hello?"

His dark brow furrows as he listens to the other end of the call. "Uh... Not following."

A few more moments.

"What?"

After a couple more seconds, Damon looks a bit stunned and a bit frustrated as he hangs up his phone, looking up at me.

"Did you bibidi bobodi boo Fell into oblivion?"

I fake a surprised expression, then whisper yell, "What?! No! I thought you killed him?"

He shrugs his shoulders, waving the waiter over and asking for a double shot of bourbon and then turning his attention back to me, "Well, they found the prick properly gutted outside the warehouse he tortured me in. Apparently, there's a shit ton of bodies stacked in there."

That puts a wrinkle of distaste on my nose, but I shrug nonetheless, "Ew. But, good riddance."

He looks at me more urgently, apparently a bit annoyed by my nonchalant attitude.

"_No! _Not '_good riddance',_" he says the last bit with an annoying high pitched voice that I assume is supposed to be me. _Rude. _

"That _means, _there's someone else who knows about vampires in this town who _isn't _part of the Council," he finishes with a sigh and dramatic rub of his forehead. _What a drama queen. All you Salvatores are so over the top._

My brows furrow for a moment when I remember what was about to befall Elena once she left the boardinghouse. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't _not _care about Elena's potential demise by whoever the hell was obsessed with Katherine, especially since Damon has no reason to be out and about since he didn't need to go to Georgia. _Ugh. Guess I'll have to fake a 'vision' and get someone to go help her._

"Hey, Day, not that I'm not completely _enraptured _by your hissy fit over Fell, but I have a bad feeling about something. Mind taking a drive with me to go check it out? I got something special for you if you do."

Damon's handsome face quirks with curiosity before he slaps forty bucks on the table.

"You're lucky I really need a win today."

*

_How have I fallen so far? Throwing myself out there to save the fucking doppelgänger. The mighty do fall indeed._

As we pulled up the very long Salvatore driveway, lo and behold, Elena's car completely flipped over and smoking. Damon turns on his high beams, trying to get a closer look, and it reveals, in a very spooky way, the hooded vampire who had been approaching the car.

_Oooo, I got chills. _

Damon immediately slams on the brakes, jumping out of the car to go and help her, and I watch the shadowy figure speed off under the cover of darkness. I quickly pull out my phone and dial Stefan, who answers on the second ring.

"Alessia? What is it-," I cut him off.

"Shut up, and run down the driveway. We got issues."

*

Elena is placed on the couch gently by Stefan and I glance at the glass of apple juice I've poured myself.

_This is quickly getting boring. _

Damon was outside trying his best to tidy up the mess Elena's car bits had made, very grumpily, might I add. I've just accepted the fact that I'm not going back to Caroline's tonight. They have a shit ton of rooms in this wannabe mansion, and I'm not trying to get Care in trouble with my dumbass trying to come in at two in the morning.

I quickly shoot her a text to let her know I'm staying and that I'll tell her and Bons what happened later, before turning to face an even more broody than usual Stefan.

"Is it cool if I stay here tonight, Salvatore? You won't even notice I'm here."

He nods resolutely, still looking at the recently blood healed Elena guiltily, and I sigh before flopping onto the middle of the opposite couch.

"I'm gonna take a wild guess and assume Elena found out about KitKat?"

I get another nod in response, Stefan coming over and sitting to my right with a kicked puppy expression.

_Poor guy. _

"Everything'll be fine Stefan. Elena's a forgiving person to people she likes, and she _definitely _likes you. Hell, she might even love you," I say giving him a comforting smile and a light punch on the shoulder, "Just explain everything to her once she wakes up and I'm sure everything will be back to daisies."

Green eyes move to look down on the floor, and I hear him exhale out of his nose before looking back up at me, "Things weren't exactly daisies before."

Cue eyebrow raise. I knew that they had been taking things slower, and in my opinion, that was better, but I didn't know that things were not _good. _

"What do you mean by that? You guys are literally the talk of the town with that 'star-crossed lover' look in your eyes. People at school think you write her poems and shit. Really, you've upped the standards of dating in this town."

He shrugs, "Well, first off, she's been pretty consistently upset with me over the last couple weeks. She was mad that I didn't tell her about Damon, then she was mad about not telling her about Katherine, then she was mad that I didn't want to tell her about the supernatural, and with our track record, she's going to be _really _angry that I didn't tell her that her and Katherine look identical. Elena's mad that I'm friends with you and Caroline, she's really mad that you and Damon have some sort of business deal, she's angry that you, Caroline, and Bonnie were all in on the supernatural. And to spare you another five minutes, she's not happy about the pace of our relationship either."

_Jesus fucking CHRIST that's a lot to be angry about._

"Weird," I say, a bit shellshocked from the information dump, "Elena's so tiny, I didn't think she could contain so much rage. Oh, but the first half of that could've not happened if you just communicated with her. Like, it'd only been a few days since y'all met, so I get why you didn't at first, but the rest you probably could've let her know."

Stefan nods resolutely, "You're right, I just.. I had no idea _how _to.."

"Tell her she's literally a copy and paste of your ex? Gee, I wonder why," he turns and glares at me and my snark, clearly saying with his pretty green eyes that I'm being unhelpful at best.

"She's nothing _like_ Katherine. She's sweet, and kind, and loyal."

_You're **kinda** right, but she's just as manipulative, if not moreso, than Katherine. But then again, I'm a bit biased._

Elena stirs slightly on the couch, and I inwardly groan, praying that Damon comes back in soon so I don't have to third wheel with my generation's Romeo and Juliet.

She groans, opening her doe eyes and seeing me and Stefan on the couch. They suddenly widen and she jumps back like we're about to attack her.

"Why am I back here, Stefan? And why is Alessia here?!"

The doppelgänger looks like she's about to have a panic attack, so I wave at her with a grin. Stefan shoots me a disapproving look before raising his hands in mock surrender.

"It's okay, Elena, everything's fine. You were in a car accident, do you remember anything?" He asks gently, and I take the time to note that his voice could be very soothing when he wanted it to be.

"I-I was driving down the driveway," she stutters, and I see the gears turning in her head, "Then someone came out in f-front of my car.."

_Vampire douche nozzle._

Her big brown eyes suddenly lock on Stefan fearfully, looking like she's about to bolt, "Did you do that to me, Stefan?"

_What the hell?_

"No, Elena," I sigh, and I see how deeply _hurt _he is that Elena thinks he would hurt her, that he would hurt _anyone_.

Bitch.

_"_Me and Damon pulled up and found your car flipped over. Some weird shadow-y dude in a hoodie was your perp. Vampire sped away and everything."

Her brown eyes widen, "But why would they do that?"

_Probably because you look like his sire._

I shrug my shoulders, glancing back towards the fireplace and thinking. If this has happened, that means Anna is in town and that I need to find her and offer her a deal. Not that I care if baby Gilbert gets emotionally manipulated, but she was just a girl who wanted her mother, and that spoke to my numerous abandonment issues.

Snapping back to the room, I realize Elena is asking me a question and I've _completely _missed like half of it. I blink, before asking, "What was that? I spaced out."

Doppelena glares at me momentarily before repeating, "Why'd you save me? Don't you hate me?"

_Hate's a strong word. _

"Had a bad feeling and went with it. I didn't know that it had anything to do with you. Also, I don't _actually _hate you, Elena. Your presence just annoys me to no end. I have no desire to do anything to hurt you, or want revenge for anything, I just don't like seeing you in my eyeline."

_Like a really annoying fly. But, points again to the Bennett bluntness._

She gasps, completely flabbergasted and I don't know whether it's because of the fact that I see her more as an annoying neighbor than an actual enemy, or that I actually _genuinely _dislike her without any vehemence. Stefan looks like he doesn't know whether to laugh or whether to get offended on behalf of his girlfriend.

So, I don't give them time to add to the conversation.

Standing up, I walk over to the staircase, with a quick, "Goodnight, lovebirds! I'm exhausted."

And then I pick an empty room and pop a squat on the large mattress. _Jesus, this place is nice. I wonder if they'd let me and Bons move over here. _Taking off my pants and laying down, I sigh.

_Things are about to get more busy, ugh._

_*_

Blinking awake, I lay there stunned as I see that someone has crawled into my bed. Opposing eyes look back at me, and I roll my eyes.

"Damon Salvatore, what the _hell _are you doing in my bed?"

Beautiful blue eyes flash mischievously.

"Technically, it's _mine._"

*

**_A/n: Hi everyone! Sorry for the hold up, the holidays keep me busy. Hope you all enjoy this chapter!_**

**_*_**


	17. Sixteen

**Selcouth: **_def._ unfamiliar, rare, strange, and yet marvelous 

Chapter 16: Hey There, Anna Banana.

I take a sip of my coffee as I sit in the car in front of the town library, after dropping Care and Bons off at the Mystic Grill after practice. I had to promise to immediately come back after my little errand to explain it all, and honestly, wasn't looking forward to it. Hell, I'd hurried so fast to try and meet Anna that I was still in my practice get up of a tank top and spandex shorts. I focus back on the old building.

This place was an interesting sort of aesthetic, the same way the rest of the older parts of this town was. It reeked of a dark history, something just waiting under the seems and I honestly was addicted to it. If only the dark history was not one hundred percent supernaturally based.

That thought also reminds me of what'd happened last night after finding Damon in my bed.

*

"Ugh.. Damon! Couldn't this wait till later..?" I groan groggily, very clearly not in the mood for one of his games. I'm okay with a lot of things, but fucking with my sleep isn't one of them. He smirks then pats my messy copper bedhead like I'm an inconsolable child.

"Aw, Aly Cat, don't be like that! You still owe me a present for going along with your weird 'feeling'."

Rolling my eyes and yawning, I stand up, squinting in the dark for my phone and finding it on the night stand. Turning on the lamp, I turn and toss the now unlocked phone over to Damon who catches it with one hand, looking at the picture I've pulled up.

"What the hell is this?"

"A few days ago, me and Bons did a locator spell for other powerful spells in town. You said Kat was trapped in a tomb right? Well, _that_ map location is _exactly _where a powerful spell is located. Went to go check it out, but, oddly enough, it's the old Fell Church. So, I would recommend we go check it out at some point before the spell to make sure everything's groovy and ready to go."

A bright grin appears on Damon's face as he realizes that he didn't actually _need _Fell's help. Standing up, he strides over to my very sleep addled self, cupping my cheeks and grinning down at me happily, "God, You're so _useful_, Aly Cat. You're my _favorite _little witch _ever._"

I smack his hands away as I yawn, "You're so full of shit, D. Your favorite witches are whoever can help you most and whoever's the prettiest."

Damon's smile doesn't falter as he not-so-subtly checks me out, scanning me from the legs up, and as beautiful as he is, I can't find myself to feel too shy in my tank top and underwear. Sure, my heart is pounding like a racehorse and my cheeks are flushed a bit, but I was wearing a revealing bikini a few days ago. I'm not nervous about how my body looks, but I _am _nervous about how he's looking at it.

"That makes you my _favorite _of my favorites, then, doesn't it, Alessia?"

_Welp, sorry heart, he hasn't called me that in a minute and not gonna lie, it feels **great**. _

He moves closer, his tall, muscular frame seeming much more predatory now. Large hands find purchase on my hips, rough thumbs tracing the skin slightly above my waistband as his pretty blue eyes bore into me. _Pretty, **PRETTY** man. It's just not fair. Maybe after Kat is gone._

Moving his hands away and stepping out of his bubble, I hop under the covers, "Nope! Not doing that stuff, D, but if you want a _G_-rated sleepover, that's fine."

Big blue eyes widen with surprise before they roll, but I can see he's deliberating. After a couple moments of looking at me in my blanket burrito, he sighs before taking off his shoes, "You tell _anyone _that we did this, I'm going to _eviscerate _you. Got it?"

_I wonder if he's ever had a sleepover before. Huh, weird._

I smile warmly and nod, and find myself suddenly being tossed to the left side of the mattress. Landing with a huff, I'm roughly pulled back over to the right side, bare arms and chest warming my back. Damon's breath is warm against the back of my neck, and while it _does _send shivers rolling down to my happy place, it's also oddly comforting.

His large arms slide over my waist and he pulls me in closer, and it makes me feel kinda sad.

_Poor guy, probably hasn't been offered to actually cuddle someone since Katherine, and I don't really know if she's the cuddling type. All the women he's probably been with were either one night stands, or desperately in love with all the beauty that is Damon Salvatore, so those aren't optional._

_The dude needs a BFF. I'm glad he gets Alaric soon._

I smile warmly in spite of myself, enjoying being the elder Salvatore's stuffed animal standee for the evening, and soon find myself drifting into dreamland.

* 

It had been genuinely _nice _to cuddle with Damon. He was very protective in his sleep, always needing to keep me exceedingly close, otherwise he'd wake up and pull me back to him again. It allowed me to sleep through the night peacefully, and honestly it's been one of the best nights of sleep I've had _ever. _He, of course, pretended like it hadn't happened, but I could tell how much he liked just sleeping next to someone, the adorable bastard.

So, I just hinted that if he ever wanted to have a sleepover again, to let me know. He scoffed before he _thankfully _drove me home before Elena and Stefan got up. I had no idea how the night had gone, but if they _had _made up, I knew I didn't wanna be around for the show.

Once I had gotten home, Bons and Care had a reasonable fit at how little information they'd received over the last twenty four hours, but since school started in thirty minutes, we changed the agreement to confessing later at the Grill. But, most importantly at the moment, I needed to see whether or not Anna would accept my deal to get her mother out of the tomb. The full moon would be coming very soon, and I needed an answer before I went and roasted every vamp in that stupid cave.

Thankfully, we still had Emily's talisman. With that, me and Bons wouldn't _need _Grams to help, and her little feeble body wouldn't die on us. In fact, I should probably run by the witches house one more time to make sure my intentions are clear, because, I swear to god if I feel any kind of _push _from the Other Side, I'm burning all of her shit to the ground. Her and the rest of the family could find somewhere else to be a nuisance.

Finally, I see little Gilbert approach the library, and soon after entering, a telltale black curly head followed behind. Hopping out of the car, I grab my hoodie and toss it on before walking out to the library.

_Let's hope this works out._

_*_

By the time I find them, they've adorably bumped heads like in a romcom, and honestly I find it pretty cute but I'm on a mission.

"Anna? Is that you?" I ask, blinking in false surprise.

Her pretty black eyes look up and blink at me in confusion, then suspicion. I walk over to hug her like she's an old friend and she hesitantly opens her arms, trying to not let Jeremy know she doesn't _know _me. As soon as I pull her close, I whisper into her hair, "I've got a deal for you. Meet me in the Science Fiction section in five minutes."

Then, I quickly change my tone and give her a warm smile as we separate. "I can't _believe _you're here! I'll have to talk to you later though, big project due."

And with that, I promptly flounce over to the science fiction section, pulling out a cherry lollipop I got from answering a question correctly in Ric's class. _What a cool dude._

After waiting a few minutes, Anna struts towards me, eyes all mean and business-like, looking much more mature than she did with Baby Gilbert. I smile at her, pulling the lollipop from my mouth.

"Hiya, Anna Banana. My name is Alessia Bennett, and boy, do I got a _great _deal for you."

Her dark brow raises, "I'm aware, if you don't hurry and spill it, I'll rip your throat out."

I blink tiredly, "Ugh, don't be predictable vamp, no one likes them. Anyway, my deal involves me getting your mom out of the tomb at the next full moon. I'm opening it anyway for another guy, I don't mind letting you grab your mom as well."

Her eyes slightly widen, clearly stunned that I'm being so 'cut and dry', before the suspicion edges in again. "And what _exactly_ do you want in return?"

I shrug my shoulders, "Long story short, things are about to get very spooky in this town. If I call you or your mother for help, I want you both to respond promptly and be here by my side. It's only good for one call, and you guys can totally stay in Mystic Falls if you want. Wouldn't really recommend it though. Also, I'm not sparing any other vamps in there. The rest _will _die after I open it, it's up to you whether your mom is part of the death toll."

Her brows furrow slightly, but she looks slightly less suspicious and more hopeful, "That's it?"

"That's it."

She gives me a quick half grin, relief painting her features, "You got yourself a deal, Bennett."

_Everything is coming up Lessy._

_*_

_Everything is NOT coming up Lessy._

Care and Bonnie are already glaring at me the second I walk in the Grill, and when I sit down, they don't say a _word. _

"_Guys,"_ I whine, "I already said I was sorry! I didn't make any big decisions without you guys, I promise."

"Alessia _Marie _Maddox," Caroline says heatedly, and I know I'm in trouble when she uses my full name, "You should've called one of us if you were going to be out all night! A text can be sent by _anyone _who has your phone!"

_That.. is a really good point._

"Not to _mention," _Bonnie adds, clearly not enthused, "You didn't even call later on to let us know what all had happened! We can't afford to wait thirty six hours for pertinent information!"

I quirk my brow at that, "Wait. Elena hasn't told you anything, Bons?"

Her green eyes grow much more worried, "No! Why? Did something happen to her?"

_Yikes. If Bons isn't happy with me, she's really not gonna be happy with Doppelena._

"Okay, first, lower your voices. Second, don't interrupt me till I'm finished giving you the deets."

They both nod vigorously, and I sigh as a waiter approaches, quickly ordering a burger before turning back to the rest of the war council.

"Okay, so, after saving Bons from Logan Fell, me and Damon left the house to eat. I had a bad feeling," I glance over at Bonnie and she nods in understanding, "So, I had Damon drive us back to the boardinghouse, and boom! Elena's car is flipped over on their long ass drive way."

They both gasp, but I hold my hand up to tell them to wait till I'm done.

"She's fine, me and D pulled her out. Besides that, there was a vampire in a hood who ran for the cover of darkness when me and Damon pulled up, he apparently stood in the middle of the road and Elena flipped trying to avoid him. Anyhoo, rescued her, brought her to the house, got the hot gossip on Stefan and Elena, then I went to bed. Woke up, Damon's in my bed asking for what I offered him for driving us over there, so I tell him about the Church. Today, I went to talk to a girl who's trying to get her mom out of the tomb, struck a deal up with her."

Bonnie's eyebrows raise, "Wait, I thought we were burning them all."

I look down at the table before crossing my arms, suddenly a bit cold, "We _are _Bonnie, the _rest _of them. That girl just wants her mom back, and I'd feel awful if I took that away from her."

Bons nods in understanding, completely getting where my issues are coming from, and I turn to check on my favorite blonde hurricane who's been unnaturally quiet.

She pouts before angrily saying, "You glossed over the juicy stuff!! Like Damon Salvatore being _in your bed?? _Not to mention, you forgot to spill the Stelena drama!! You _know _this is what I live for!"

Rolling my eyes, I sigh, glad that my burger has just arrived and planning not to answer until Care snatches my food away. "

"_Hey!_" I yell at her, and she just smiles evilly at me.

"Drama, first. _Then _food."

_Ugh, I was wrong, I hate her._

"FINE. Damon's been trying to get in my pants as of late, but I'm not trying to deal with his angry vampire lover once she's out of the tomb. So _no, _Caroline, don't even _think_ about trying to encourage that. As for Stefan and Elena..." I wince just thinking about what Stefan told me, and Bons sighs, folding her hands together thoughtfully.

"I should've known Elena wasn't telling the truth about them. She's just so desperate for everything to go back to being perfect."

Nodding my copper head, I glance up at Bonnie, "You're right, but that's not a good mental state to be in for a relationship. Stefan is awful pretty, but he's _not _a perfect guy, and if Elena is looking for a Prince Charming to save her, she's looking in the wrong direction. That's Matt."

Caroline's thin blonde brows furrow, "Yeah, but what do you mean by-," she mimics my 'yikes' face.

"Basically, Stefan and her do _not _have the best communication skills, and Elena is pretty pissed about it. Actually she's pissed off about a _lot _of things. Some of which pertain to you and me, Care Bear. That's why she was driving away from the Salvatore house in the first place. She found out that she's a carbon copy of his ex, Katherine."

Both Bonnie and Caroline both choke, either on the air or on their words, and Caroline is the first one to pull a mutual 'yikes' face with Bons quickly following.

We all three say, "_Oof," _before turning back to our food.

*

I finish the last bite of my burger before glancing up at Bons.

"You know the ritual is this next full moon, right? If you've got any plans, cancel them."

She nods, tossing her last bite of salad into her mouth, "_Duh_. I'm ready whenever you and Damon are to do this."

_Oh shit! That reminds me._

"Also, Care, Bons, I want to ask if we can do something together," I quickly add, and they both blink up at me, Caroline wiping her mouth with her napkin before paying attention.

"I want to link our lives together. If we're linked and one of you gets hurt, I can heal you relatively quickly from my end, or, _god forbid_, if one of us dies, it'll be _much _easier to bring you back. As long as two out of the three of us are okay, the one who's dead won't _stay_ gone. I don't like thinking along these lines, but with all that's going on right now, it'd be dumb not to plan for the worst scenario."

Bons quickly nods, while Caroline looks down at the table.

"Is that _safe_ for you guys?" She asks softly, "I mean, I'm the weak human in this group, wouldn't I be a constant way of making you weaker? Also, would you guys get _any _injury that I got?"

_Swear to god, most sweethearted person on the planet._

_She's not wrong. If any of us are injured significantly, it'll weaken the others as well, just not as badly._

Bonnie shakes her pretty brown head, "No, this would more than likely be a spiritual connection rather than a physical one. Physical ones are generally used for protection for only _one _of the parties involved. Also, if one of us went missing, it'd make it easier for the other two to locate the one with a spiritual connection."

Pointing my fry at Bons, I smile proudly at the evidence of her studying, "_Exactly. _Ten points to Hufflepuff, Bons."

She smirks back pridefully as Care nods her head in agreement.

"I'll trust whatever you twitches think is best."

_Huh._

"Wait," I thoughtfully add, "Me and Bonnie aren't twins. What would we actually be called? _Sitches?_"

Bonnie looks pensive, "Sis-witches?"

Care adds seriously, "Witchers?"

We all deliberate for a moment longer before giving up.

_Twitches is more catchy anyway._

_*_

Raising my phone to my ear, I playfully answer, "This is Alessia the Great Big Witch Bitch, how can I help you, Stefan?"

I hear a deep inhale and sigh on the other end, and I quickly get serious.

"Stef? What's wrong?"

A couple moments of silence pass before he answers, "I told her. I told her _everything._"

My eyebrows raise, trying to capture the tone of genuine surprise, "What do you mean by _everything?_"

More moments pass before he sighs.

"I told Elena she was adopted."

I blink once, then twice.

"Damn, Stefan. Way to open up the channels of truth. I think it was a good idea, if you ask me. She deserves to know."

"You don't sound surprised?" He asks, clearly confused by my tone.

"Well, Stefan, I knew that Katherine's last name was Pierce and that she looks like Elena. Clearly the only Pierce in town during your lifetime was Katherine, and she was a vamp _and _not playing with the Gilberts. It's just logical conjecture, Stefan."

_My lying skills are getting a bit too good._

Stefan chuckles a bit, before pausing, "Could you.. Maybe come over? Sorry, it's just.. You remind me a lot of Lexi, and I could really use some advice."

_Poor baby Salvatore, I wish I could._

"I'm a bit occupied at the moment," I quickly say into the phone as I approach my destination, "How about I come over later?"

"Oh, that's fine. What are you doing anyway?"

Smirking, I turn to face the old witch house, holding a jerrycan of gasoline.

"Oh, you know. Just visiting some family."

*

**_A/n: Hey all! Hope you're all having a happy holiday and enjoyed the chapter. Much love to you and those you care about in this special time of year!_**

**_*_**


	18. Seventeen

**Willowwacks**: _def. _a wooded, uninhabited area

Chapter 17: No One _Really_ Likes the Fifties.

I kick down the rotted wooden door, opening the jerrycan and running a line of gasoline down the hallway.

"Oh, _Emily!_" I call out, furrowing my brows momentarily before adding, "_And_ any other witch ghost in this shack!"

Emily appears abruptly, clearly upset judging by the stark wrinkles between her thin brows, "What are you _doing_, child?!"

"Oh, calm down," I say, racing through the house to try and make sure I've doused enough wood before stopping and killing off the rest of the can in the living room-looking area. _Who knows? This place is grody. _

"This is just insurance," I sigh out, trying to catch my breath. Emily appears in front of me once again, and I pause momentarily to wonder if she's the spirit representative for our family. To be honest, if that's the case, I'm glad it's her and not Qetsiyah. She'd be an entirely different type of monster to deal with, and probably not _this_ easily bullied.

"This is my way of letting you know that I'm completely serious about my threat. If I even feel you _brush _up against the veil when me and Bons use that ugly necklace, I _will _come back and burn this shit to the ground."

Emily's dark eyes harden, clearly not fond of the threat.

_Or maybe that I called the talisman ugly._

"And what if we killed you right now, child? You know not the forces you're dealing with."

I turn to face her completely, face blank, hand resting on my hip.

"Trust me when I say that my death will _not _be permanent," My eyes are hard and honest on her dark ones, "Sure, I'll probably bother you and the other witches for a little bit, might even see how the OG witch is doing, but I'm not staying on the Other Side for long."

Pausing, I then purposefully glance around the room, playfully adding, "And _then _I'll burn this grimy little hut you all call home to the ground. Or, hell, Bons might do it herself if she sees I'm MIA."

Her hands are folded tightly together on her old dress, and I can tell by the look of intense deliberation on her face that it was a good idea to reaffirm my threat. _This bitch was definitely going to try to destroy the talisman anyway._

I'd be a bit less annoyed by that prospect if she had at least _acted _like she wouldn't. Really, it's just plain insulting.

Emily's pretty brown face proceeds to smile softly, seemingly looking at me in a different light.

"You're _truly _going to kill the rest of the tomb vampires?"

I pause momentarily about how I'm going to answer this. If Emily _really _was planning on taking me on, she'd probably get one of her flying monkeys to keep an eye on me. And if _that _was the case, she was just testing to see if I would lie about Anna and give them full reason not to trust me.

_See, now that's the kind of sneakiness I can respect._

"There's a girl vamp," I start, and I can see Emily's brown eyes widen momentarily at my admission.

"She just wants her mother. If they end up becoming a threat, I'll take care of it after, but the rest are going to burn down there."

Emily continues to stare at me, still surprised that I was honest and that she couldn't use a lie against me, before slowly focusing her gaze once again.

"I see. We will not interfere. However, should you break your bond.."

Waving my hand dismissively I walk over to the front door, "Blah blah, death threat, blah blah, I got shit to do. Bye, Emily!"

I left without looking back.

—

After that, I promptly drove down to ye olde Salvatore boardinghouse. Not knocking because I'm sure that they can both hear me approaching, I whisper a spell to open the door for me and promptly go inside.

"Stefano!" I call out, setting my bag on their coat rack, "Your therapist is here!"

Both brothers suddenly flash in front of me along with a gust of wind, Damon with his typical shit-eating grin on his face, and Stefan looking quite broody. God, these boys need more moods outside of 'mischievously flirtatious' and "exceedingly depressed'.

They're lucky they look so good doing it, otherwise it'd come off as a bit predictable.

Stefan's forest green eyes are very obvious in their misery. He looks like he called me here to stake him rather than just to talk. The elder Salvatore, on the other hand, is clearly bemused, probably overhearing the couples' discussion prior and loving it.

"Hey there, Aly Cat," Damon greets cheerfully, quickly throwing his muscular arm over my shoulder and raising a mocking dark brow at Stefan, "I'm gonna guess you're here to be Stef's emotional support witch?"

Nodding, I push off the handsome vampire's arm.

"Basically. You guys got anything a human could eat? I'm starved," I ask, pushing my way past the two of them to head to the kitchen, for hopefully something decent to munch on while I sit with Stefan.

Damon has already vamp sped into the kitchen by the time I get in, and I can't help but be a little awestruck at how pretty this kitchen is. Marble countertops, pretty wood paneling, and enough kitchen accessories to make me think that Zach could've made for a great interior designer if he wasn't dead.

The blue eyed vampire whips out an apron that says 'Kiss the Cook', securely tying it around his waist as I try to stifle a laugh. Stefan enters, the now more prominent wrinkle between his brows is enough visual information for me to tell that he's not particularly happy about Damon interrupting his appointment, and I can't help but laugh lightly at it.

Damon raises his handsome brow up at me as he pulls out several pans, "Something funny over there, gorgeous?"

Ignoring the compliment so I don't blush, I shake my head, "Nah, just thought about something funny."

He brushes it off with another eyebrow raise, turning to the fridge as Stefan pops a squat on the bar stool next to me.

"Are you vegetarian or anything like that?" He asks as his pretty blue eyes scan the limited supply within the refrigerator.

I shake my head, and he proceeds to grab milk, cheese, flour, pasta, and a bunch of seasonings that I can't see from this angle, sighing, "Mac and cheese, it is."

Wow. What a fantasy come true.

Like seriously, a hot guy making me food could be considered a kink of mine, and I felt my stomach warming at seeing the beautiful vamp in front of me doing so. I quickly snap myself out of it, of course, since as of right now this is an emotionally unavailable pretty boy.

Instead, I turn over to the sad pretty boy on my left who's staring hard at the granite countertop in thought.

"Alright," I sigh, resting my head in my hand as I look at Stefan Salvatore's flawless profile, "Lay it on me, how are you doing after that hot mess?"

Shaking his dirty blond hair out like I've asked a stupid question, and maybe I have, he turns his sad emerald gaze to my brown one.

"Things are not good. At this point, I'm scared I'm going to lose her in the constant rollercoaster that seems to be this relationship."

Damon sets a glass of water in front of me, and I gratefully accept it, before asking Stefan, "Was it this hard with Katherine?"

I can see Damon's shoulders stiffen slightly, but if he wants to snoop in on me and Stefan's convo under the guise of giving me food, I don't need to be careful of his feelings on the matter.

Stefan shrugs, "It was definitely hard, and of course, I was under compulsion for certain parts of it, but it wasn't near as stressful. I was never scared that Katherine was going to leave. She didn't want to let go of either of us, ever."

Nodding, I take a sip of my water.

"Look, Stefan. I'm going to be honest with you. Elena is a seventeen year old girl. The only real relationship she's ever had was with Matt, and she didn't really want him, she just liked that he wanted her and decided to give it a shot.

What I'm saying is, she's nowhere near as emotionally mature as Katherine was/is, so you're going to have to accept that her little fits are going to happen as the curveballs keep coming. At least until she gets a good head on her shoulders, anyway."

Damon glances over at me as I finish talking, adding flour to the bit of milk he had in the heated pan, expression unreadable.

"You're seventeen, too, little Bennett. And yet, here you are giving a therapy session to a one hundred seventy one year old vampire, and doing business with his more attractive older brother."

Shrugging nonchalantly, I look back up into Damon's blue gaze.

"People mature in one of two ways: over time, or after experience. I happen to be in the latter category. Elena's a normal teenage girl, outside of looking like KitKat, anyway, so she can afford to be childish. I can't."

It was true. I might've been born with more information in my little infant skull than most people, but I hadn't been able to enjoy being a kid very much. Whether it was martial arts, cheerleading, or learning to be a true badass witch, everything that I've done in my life so far was to prepare for right now.

Sure, it was kinda fun learning, but I've never done anything just for the sake of it being a good time in my entire life. Instead, I was more like a little soldier than a child.

How tragic.

Stefan is looking at me intently, scanning me as if he had never thought about it like that.

Which is weird considering he's been watching Elena all these months. After such stalker-y dedication, you'd think he would've at least noticed that much about her.

Glancing back down to the granite, Stefan starts looking rather pensive. At least he was until he suddenly turned back to me, a certain thoughtfulness in his gaze.

"That must've been hard for you, Alessia."

Wait, what?

Damon lets out a sigh as he stirs his other pot of bubbling pasta, "You're doing an awful lot of grown up stuff considering you're just a baby."

Rolling my caramel eyes, I glare at Damon, before smirking.

"You're the one trying to get in this baby's panties."

Stefan's green eyes grow comically wide.

"WHAT?"

Damon rolls his eyes at Stefan's offended tone, "Oh shut up, Clark Kent. Your little girlfriend is the same age, I don't want to hear shit from you."

Dinner at the Salvatores had been relatively peaceful after that, and I drove home after, knowing that tomorrow I would be threatening another person if my timeline guess was correct.

Oh god, is this going to become a regular thing?

I think about this whole mess as I close my eyes, slipping off into a peaceful rest.

—

As I walk into the Grill, my eyes narrow in annoyance as I see that prick, Ben, flirting with Bons.

So, Anna was still going to go with the plan of kidnapping Elena to get the Salvatores to pass up the grimoire.

How perfectly irritating.

Honestly, I would be able to respect the hustle if they hadn't chosen my sister as bait. This jackoff was going to make Bonnie feel like she was special then go home to that musty motel and probably bang Anna. Ew. They both separate as Bons gives him a warm smile, and I promptly start my walk over to the boy once she's out of my eye-line.

He stands behind the bar before giving me a warm but slightly strained smile. What a terrible pretender I think as I slide onto the barstool.

"Hi there, Alessia. How can I help you?" He asks warmly, and I smile back.

"Can I get you guys' sirloin and eggs with a cup of coffee? Medium rare and sunny side up."

He jots my order down, and I glance around the Grill one more time to make sure I picked a more isolated area. Check.

Glancing down at my phone as I wait for him to come back, I see a text from both Bons and Caroline.

—

From: Bons

Msg: I JUST SAW BEN!!

—

From: Care Bear

Msg: Did Bon txt u about Hang Ten Ben???

—

Oh yeah, I forgot about that. When we were all in Mystic Falls Elementary together, he faked that he was actually a pro surfer for like a year. Weird times.

Ben comes back with my order, along with a napkin with my silverware, and I smile happily at him.

"How've you been, Ben? Is graduated life treating you well?"

He nods his adorable brown head, "Yeah, it's been a hard transition, but a rewarding one."

Oh, well, there's a double meaning if I've ever seen one.

"I saw you with Bons earlier, I bet it's good to see everyone again," I say, reaching to unroll my napkin wrap of utensils as Ben leans forward across the bar towards me, eyes turned flirtatious.

"You're not jealous, are you?" He asks in a deeper voice that I'm guessing should be seductive, but once you hang out with two god-like specimens on a regular basis, normal cute boys just aren't as intimidating.

I glance up at him, smile still on my pretty pink lips as I grab the steak knife out of the napkin and promptly stab it through his hand into the bar.

Ben groans in pain, but no one turns and notices. He struggles to maintain a look of normality as I twist the knife hard, causing him to halt a yell with a cough.

"Listen, you little shit," I whisper menacingly, smile still glued to my cheeks, and I thoroughly enjoy his dark eyes widening in shock and pain.

"Tell Anna to keep her grubby little hands away from my sister. And while she's at it, you can too. I'm not afraid to leave her mom's corpse burning in that cave with the rest of them if you both wanna play it this way."

He glares hard at me, veins starting to appear underneath his eyes, "You have no idea what you're messing with. We'll eat you and spit you out."

I lean forward, caramel gaze unflinching, and anyone else watching would think I was sharing a secret with him.

"I would love to see you try, Baby Drac. I'll spill your body parts all over this goddamn bar," I say mock cheerfully, yanking out the knife with a twist and watching him grimace in pain. Pushing the plate forward, I reach in my purse and pull out a twenty, dropping it on the table as I stand up.

Smiling, I say, "Great to see ya again, Ben. Tell Anna to text me!"

I can feel his spiteful glare on my back as I leave, and I just hope that I've made my point very clear.

Didn't really want to kill them, but if I had to for Bons, I would.

——

I flatten my poodle skirt down, tugging on a corner that had snagged on the puffy fabric underneath before glancing to the driver's side at my handsome vampire 'date'.

Ugh, of course Elena got attacked again. I forgot about that other creepy vamp. He wasn't actually my problem after all, he was Elena's and Anna's.

"Damon, sweetie. No offense, but why am I here?" I sigh, and blue eyes meet mine in a way that spells trouble.

"Well, Aly Cat, Elena has a vamp problem, so we all have one. The guy has an all access pass to the Gilbert buffet, so we're luring him out," he sighs, slowly taking a sip from his blood bag like a tired man sips a beer.

I pull down his visor, using the moonlight to reapply my ruby red lipstick and making sure my bronze curls have stayed in the big ass pink bow. Excellent.

"And what exactly does that have to do with me, D?"

Damon glances at me briefly before firing back, "Aw, don't you like spending time with me? I am your fake boyfriend after all."

"Ex," I say with a small smile, "We stopped doing that last week, remember?"

He pauses thoughtfully, then nods, continuing to drive in silence without actually answering my question. Weird dude. But, hot weird dude, so we forgive.

—

The dance is, of course, flawless.

Caroline was a genuine miracle worker with planning all of the events, I knew from how much she complained about it that the student council budget was less than stellar. All these founding families were definitely more talk than walk considering they were the main donors.

Damon links my arm through his, placing my hand on his hard bicep firmly, and smirking at the blush it produced.

Douchebag.

A quick glance around the room shows me most of the familiar heads of my friends, short Care and Bons. Glancing a bit harder, I finally spot them over by the far corner beverage table. Stepping to walk towards them, my body is suddenly swiftly twirled, and I find myself pulled much closer to Damon's side.

He leases down to my ear, and I can hear him smirking at my raised heartbeat as he mutters, "Not so fast. You can have your social time after we take care of Elena's stalker."

I huff, but willingly walk along side him as he spots Stefan and Elena. Pulling up to the couple, I can very clearly feel the tension between the two. Stefan looks frustrated and kinda sad, and Doppelena looks absolutely livid.

I make a low whistle as we approach, and I hear Damon chuckle softly.

Oh, I get it. He heard whatever happened over here and wanted to get in on the action.

Again, douchebag.

Damon is all smiles as we all four make our way through the crowd to find a place to stand and chat battle strategy. Finding a spot beneath the many swirling color lights was a bit harder than I thought it'd be, but these dances were always way more packed than they should've been. Seriously, they just always let anybody come in here. It's how there was always spiked punch at every single one of these dances.

And it was also how it was going to be difficult to find the guy. I had a very, very brief memory of the perp, and honestly, he wasn't even cute enough to warrant really remembering the face.

Stelena suddenly splits apart, Elena storming off towards Care and Bons as Stefan just stands there looking stunned. I hear Damon choke on a laugh and elbow him lightly in the stomach.

Time and place, dude.

When Stefan finally turns around, the pain in his eyes is alarming, and I'm suddenly hit with the thought that if this is how Stefan looks when he's hurt.. what's Damon gonna look like, in person, when his heart breaks?

That's going to be a painful expression to witness.

Oh god, when did I start to care?

———

A/n: Hello everyone! I'm sorry if things look weird this chapter, but something changed with the keyboard as I was writing it, so I had to make some adjustments. I hope you enjoy the chapter anyway!


	19. Eighteen

**Dormiveglia: **_def. _the space that stretches between sleeping and waking

Chapter 18: Well, That Was Unexpected.

Stefan looks after Elena, still hurt and shocked, and I can't help but wonder what the hell the doppelgänger had said to make him look like that. I slowly put my hand on his shoulder, and he shakes himself out of his stupor, now just looking like he's in pain.

"You okay, Stef?" I ask, trying to sound gentle, but the loud music makes it nearly impossible.

_Graceful, Lessy. _

He brushes me off, instead turning to Damon, and I pull my hand away from his shoulder. _Okay, _I think to myself, _clearly __too soon._

Damon is about to start in on his 'Damon the Dick' role, and I tune their thinly veiled jabs out as I look over at Elena with the rest of the war council. Caroline is looking thoroughly done with whatever the fuming doppelgänger is saying, looking around the room for an escape, finding one in Matt, and promptly exiting.

Bons, on the other hand, looks _bored. _She's paying attention to what Doppelena is saying, but not really registering it, and it shows in the glazed over look her olive eyes take.

Elena doesn't notice though, still prattling on, and I take a moment to notice that Stefan's strong has tightens at whatever he's hearing her say.

_Man, the gossip is JUICY and I'm the only one left out!_

How frustrating.

Oh wait, I could just listen to whatever insults the brothers are bouncing off of each other. Without looking at them, I tune in to the Salvatore salt contest.

"Well, Elena's keeping you on a pretty tight leash. '_No talking to Alessia when I'm not there!'__," _Damon says, tone positive and yet, scathing with a side of mockery.

_Oh, shit. The gossip mill is churning **hard** tonight._

"Elena is young. She's going to be prone to jealousy. If only Katherine had the same problem, then maybe you would understand. _Oh__, wait._" is Stefan's snarky retort, and I can see Damon in my peripheral shaking off the jab.

I turn to face them, taking my name as an entrance into the conversation with a raised brow, "What's this about 'no talking to Alessia'? I might go have a word with Elena on why that's not optional."

_I have no desire to keep the doppelgänger safe for the long term, but Klaus is gonna need some clone to drain like a Capri-Sun, so, until that happens, I'll help the cause._

Stefan's pretty green eyes widen, and he shakes his head worriedly.

"No offense, Alessia, but you doing it might make it worse."

_Rude._

Damon sees my brow furrow at Stefan's wording, as if her being mad at him was _my _fault, and surprisingly comes to his brother's rescue.

Wrapping an arm around my waist and tugging me to his side, he smirks down at me playfully, "Aw, it's not personal, Aly Cat. Remember what you said about Elena's maturity? Besides, Stefan's forgotten to mention that we actually _need _your help for the time being, so Elena can keep her panties in a twist for all we care."

_True. What a nice 'big brother' move._

"What do you mean by '_what she said about my maturity_'?" I hear a voice ask over my shoulder, and I sigh audibly. Of course Damon wasn't actually being nice. He just wanted to stir the pot. Dickhead.

Turning, I get to see my least favorite Mystic Falls resident glaring up at me with narrowed doe eyes. So, what do I do in the face of this obvious accusation? What I always do.

Get bored.

"You're immature. It's not a bad thing, you're a teenager, but it's something that needed to be acknowledged by all supernatural parties so we can properly make sure you don't _die,_" I groan out, already done with the conversation, and maybe the evening in general.

If I had known that coming as Damon's date meant sticking by his side, and therefore Stelena's, till we found the stalker, without being able to really talk to Bons and Care in between, I would've brought a magazine or something. Or homework. Really anything is more appealing than this.

Doppelena is fuming in front of me, eyes hard, "I'm not immature, _Alessia. _I just lost my parents. I'm trying to take care of Jeremy, and trying to move on with my life. Also, you're _my _age."

"I'm aware," I retort with a roll of my eyes, and I feel my heartbeat jump as Damon squeezes my waist, but I ignore it out of pride, "With maturity comes a certain 'I don't care what your opinion is' attitude, and _there _is where you're lacking. You care about _everyone's _opinion of you. It's why you get mad at baby Gilbert for getting all angst and embarrassing you, even though he's trying to deal with the same grief you are."

As a fellow big sister, I don't approve.

"_Oh,"_ she replies with a self satisfied grin, "And you _don't_ care? You're on the cheer team, bff's with the most popular girl in school, and you're the biggest overachiever I've _ever _met."

Shrugging in reply, since if it were optional, two-thirds of that wouldn't have happened, I notice Damon's chest vibrating with quiet laughter, "You are _way _nicer than I thought you were, Aly Cat."

Smirking, I glance up at his pretty blue eyes that are shining mischievously down at me.

"I know right? I'm not nearly as mean as I could be, but, meh, c'est la vie, or whatever."

With a sigh, Damon nods, before turning to Elena with a slightly annoyed look on his face, "Aly is here to help protect you as a favor to me. Restrain those judge-y little eyes until you can protect yourself from a supernatural threat, or you get a boyfriend who isn't on the bunny diet."

_Well, that's surprising. _

Blinking owlishly, I'm honestly stunned that he came to my defense there. Didn't expect Damon to, but hey, that might mean he actually genuinely enjoys being around me. _So sweet. _

"You should dance with me," he suddenly says, and I shake my head at his antics, trying not to laugh at Elena's flabbergasted face.

"Is that how you southern boys were taught to ask a girl to dance?" I sassily reply, and I see a glimmer of _something _flash in those ice blue eyes, before a winning smirk appears on his chiseled jaw.

Damon's hand moves down from my waist to grab my hand, bowing in a ridiculously old-fashioned way that makes me smile, and I curtsy in return with a giggle. The moment he's stood back up fully, the elder Salvatore is pulling me out to the dance floor through the crowds. Turning back, I wave nonchalantly at Elena's angry expression, before turning to smile at Stefan, but I pause when I see the look on his eyes.

He looks stunned. Not in a bad way, but enough to snap him out of whatever funk he was in prior. Green eyes are piercing, and I feel like he's burrowing for some kind of answer.

I can't help but wonder what the question was.

*

I was learning a lot of new things tonight. The really cool thing about going to these decade dances with a vampire, was that he was _there _when the decade happened, and honestly I was so curious what it was like. Of course, I wasn't dumb. I would've _never _wanted to live through the 1900s as a feminist black woman, but that didn't mean that I wasn't curious about a first hand account.

"So, you were friends with James Dean?" I ask, not really in disbelief, but it was pretty surreal to think about.

"_Totally,_" he replies cockily, shaking his hips along to the music, "Really fun guy, just wanted to party. Oh, but to clear up the debate, the guy was gay. He was just born at the wrong time to be a famous gay. Would've loved the 2000s, and probably the eighties, too."

Still dancing, I do a quick twirl as he lifts our linked hands.

"He sounds fun! Wish I could've met him!" I yell over the music. Damon smiles fondly at me, and I smile back. Honestly, I hadn't had _this _much fun at a dance in forever and was feeling pretty giddy as the song ends.

'Sleep Walk' by Santo and Johnny starts up, and the lights all dim to soft purples and blues. Damon pulls me closer, and I sigh a bit when my hands trace his shoulders and link around his neck. His large hands find purchase on my hips, being a perfect gentleman, and I lean against his chest.

"You know," he mutters into my ear, and I shiver, "this is the _second _time we've danced like this, Aly Cat. You're sending _awfully _mixed messages."

Pulling back slightly, I look him in the eye, my expression as honest as I can possibly make it.

"Then I'll make it clear. We aren't _doing_ anything. This is harmless flirting, and I don't wanna mess around and get my heart _ripped out_. When you get your lover out of the tomb and ride off into the sunset, you'll forget all about the pretty Bennett in Mystic Falls."

_I'm getting too good at lying to people. _It's starting to leave a bitter taste in my mouth.

His ice blue eyes are boring into mine with renewed fervor, his expression still unreadable as we continue to sway. Damon smirks, but doesn't say anything else, maybe in acknowledgement that I'm right. And as the song finishes, he lets me go.

A head of long black hair catches my eye, and I pat Damon on the shoulder to brush off the awkward tension. "See ya later, cupcake. I got something I need to take care of real quick."

Damon looks like he's about to say something, his dark brows furrowed in confusion, but I quickly brush past him and make my way over to Anna. It's easier said then done however, and the crowd is slowing me down significantly.

"Hey there, Anna Banana," I call out, and I can hear her sigh over the music, so it must've been pretty loud.

Turning as I finally get past the crowd and over to the drink table, the pretty vamp glares at me, soft brown eyes narrowing.

"What do you want, Bennett? I got your message loud and clear."

Walking closer, I reach behind her to get some spiked punch, taking a sip before turning my attention back to her.

"Yeah, I know. I'm over here for something else entirely."

Her thin brow arches, and she asks, "Well, what is it you want from me, then?"

Smiling, I take another sip of the _strong _punch, seriously whoever poured the vodka was a little heavy-handed. "This is about whichever one of your lackeys is fucking with Elena. Get him under control before he gets staked."

With a last meaningful look at the small vampiress, I turn to find wherever my war council has gone.

_I really hope they haven't left yet._

*

Being unsuccessful in my endeavor to find my besties, I finally pop a squat at one of the tables. I unfortunately didn't own flats or saddle shoes, so I was out here in stilettos and _boy _did it make my thighs _work. _And this is coming from someone who works out on a persistent basis.

I feel a large hand touch my shoulder, and I look up to see my favorite meatball, Tyler Lockwood, smiling brightly down on me.

Smiling back, I gesture for him to take the seat next to me, which he does happily. He'd been doing much better altogether without Vicki here, and I was once again very glad that I had just shipped her off instead of killing her. Tyler's mind was at peace just knowing that Vicki was getting help, and I couldn't help but wonder if baby Gilbert was, too.

"Hey there, Lessia. Long time, no see! Where's my favorite girl been?" He asks, pretty dark eyes flashing mischievously.

I roll my eyes, trying to fight the smile on my face, "Trust me, if I told you, you'd throw me in a looney bin. But in less silly news, me and Bons left Grams' house."

Tyler's handsome face gets serious, "Everything's okay, right? Like, I remember you telling me about her drinking problem.. I mean, I know I'm not good at this kinda emotional stuff, but if you need someone to talk to, I'm here."

_My heart. It **MELTS**._

I wrap my arm around his muscular torso, giving him a tight side hug. Really, if anyone in this town has changed for the better due to having my influence, it's him. Sure, he's totally still a tool to a lot of people, but he's a lot more caring towards his friends. I lean my head against his letterman jacket-clad shoulder, and smile as he rubs my shoulder comfortingly.

It's just nice to be reminded every once in a while that I'm doing this for a _reason_.

"What's actually going on with you, Alessia? You haven't been this tense since our middle school play," Ty asks softly, and for a brief moment, I kinda wish I could tell someone about everything.

The memories, the supernatural, _everything _that I was working to prevent. But, that would put other people in significant danger, and would also only serve as to put a giant target on my back for every baddie heading toward this town.

I needed to buck up, because the start of all this is _nothing _compared to what's coming, and I need to be smarter than any piece on the board to come out of this with my squad alive.

"Don't worry, TyTy," I reply with a sigh, "I've got everything under control."

*

I spy Elena talking on her phone in the middle of the dance floor, looking around in a very manic manner, and I can't help but wonder why no one asks if she's alright. Instead, the brunette doppelgänger runs out of the door.

_Guess Anna couldn't rein him in. _

Standing up, I smile at Tyler, who i had been sitting in a comfortable silence with for a few minutes.

"I'll be back in a sec, I left something in my locker that I need to take back to Care's."

He nods, giving me a mock salute, and I turn away to head towards the cafeteria. Elena would only be running for her life for a couple minutes, so I had time to head over there.

The quiet, dark hallways are ominous enough, and I can see how this all sent Elena into a panic. If I was human with nothing to really protect myself, I'd panic, too.

Opening the doors to the cafeteria, I smile a bit in relief that no one is here yet. I pop a squat on one of the lunch tables, pulling out my phone to see if anyone's messaged me in the last hour. Oh, two messages.

————

**From: **Anna Banana

**Msg: **tried my best. He's all yours

————

**From: **Care Bear

**Msg: **Hey me and B left. See you at home! I want all the deets

————

Welp, guess that all puts me in the clear. I hear the rush of footsteps heading my way, and cross my legs as they approach. I had to absolutely _nail_ this dramatic entrance, and I'm pretty sure it's gonna be in my top five of my life.

Elena crashes through the door, Stalker hot on her heels, and her doe eyes widen cartoonishly as they take in the sight of me. I see relief first, then fear.

"Alessia! _Get away, he's-!!"_

I cut her off when I wave my hand and he falls to the floor clutching his head. It wasn't hard to make his blood vessels in his head pop repeatedly at this point in my training. He groans in agony on the floor as Elena jumps back from his collapsed form. Her eyes are wide, and kinda scared when she looks at me, and I honestly can't tell who the fear is caused by at the moment.

Then, the brothers Salvatore burst in like superheroes, quickly acknowledging the scene. Stefan rushes over to Elena's side, looking her over for bumps and bruises. The elder Salvatore whistles lowly, walking over to the stalker before kicking him hard in the stomach.

"Very _good_, Aly Cat," Damon calls back as he breaks a mop in half, stabbing the makeshift stake through his stomach, "You never cease to be useful."

_What a compliment._

I release said vamp from the migraine, and he groans loudly as he sits up on his knees. _Ugh, he smells like a sewer rat. _

The broody Salvatore finally releases Doppelena, instead turning his bright, _angry, _emerald gaze to the offending vamp. He walks up to the rat and twists the stick in his stomach _hard. _

_Ooooo, that's **hot**._

_Shut up, brain._

The elder Salvatore takes a seat next to me on the table, apparently letting Stefan head the interrogation.

"You feel like talking now?" He asks in a hard voice, and the creep scoffs.

"_Screw you._"

Stefan sighs, his eyes cold and harsh, before he steps back and kicks the stake further into his guts, causing him to cry out.

"_Wrong _answer_._"

_Oh, come on. You know that's hot. _

"Why are you doing this?" Stefan continues, bending down to meet the creep's eye level. I should be concerned that violence is apparently a turn on for me, but oh well.

"Because it's _fun._"

Ew.

Cue another twist of wood, and I see Damon smirk in my peripheral. I don't know what it's for precisely, but I'd like to think it's pride in how brutal his younger brother is being. Elena, on the other hand, is clearly a bit disturbed at seeing her boytoy in his element, but doesn't say anything.

Stefan sighs, and I can see him getting visibly annoyed with the twit. "What do you want with Elena?" He growls out, and I fight the shivers rolling down my spine at his threatening tone.

_I need a therapist._

"She looks like Katherine."

The tension in the room grows significantly at the mention of the much more wily doppelgänger, and I audibly sigh.

"Just _how many _guys did Katherine have a thing with?" I turn to an annoyed looking Damon, who glares at my blunt question, "What? The way you guys told the story, it was just you two. I'm just confused here."

Rolling his ice blue eyes, Damon looks like he's about to snark at me, but the douchebag beats him to the punch. "Oh, you thought you were the only ones. You don't even remember me."

_Oof. What a blow to the ego._

Also, no offense KitKat, but if I had both the Salvatores, I'd keep my standards higher than this tool.

Damon is finally interested in what's going on, and he quickly acts on his gut hunch. "Tell us how to get in the tomb, hm?"

_Oh WAIT. Did I never tell D that I had the grimoire?_

Another twist of flesh confirms my worries as the dude shouts out, "The grimoire!"

"Where is it?" Damon asks, but I stop this gravy train before it goes off the tracks.

"WAIT!" I yell, waving my hands urgently to get their attention. All eyes turn to me, some suspicion in them. "D, I already _have_ the grimoire. No side adventures necessary."

Damon raises a suspicious brow at me, and I glare back at him. "Don't you _look_ at me like that, Salvatore. I forgot to bring it up, but it's Emily's. Of course I have it."

He pierces me with his stare for a few moments, probably listening to see if I'm lying, before turning back to the vamp. I can see his brain turning, trying to decide whether I'm trustworthy enough to just take at my word. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Anna's dark head poking through the slim door window.

_Come on, D. I haven't let you down yet._

A smirk appears on his handsome face, and he bends down to the douchebag's level next to Stefan.

_Ugh, of course._

"Well, guess you're unnecessary, then."

There's a harsh wet _crunch _as Damon stabs the other half of the mop through the vamp's chest cavity, and Elena gasps audibly as his corpse hits the floor. I can't find it in me to be grossed out. Not when Damon has shown that he actually trusts me to help him. In fact, I'm feeling pretty warm and tingly.

Stefan rolls his pretty green eyes at Damon's antics, and I can see the doppelgänger is quickly spiraling into a panic.

"W-What do we-! How are you gonna find who he was working with now?!"

Damon looks unamused as he crosses his arms in his leather jacket, "He had to die. Also, he was _annoying._"

_Agreed. _

I hop off the table, walking over to stand next to D and watch the doppelgänger's meltdown, but quickly getting bored with it.

"B-but.."

I cut her off, not really in the mood for theatrics when my feet are _screaming _to get out of these shoes, "Elena. You let the douche in your house. _Think."_

She glares at me as she tries to control her breathing, and I roll my eyes. _Dumbass is gonna get herself killed if she ignores everything I say just because she doesnt like me._

We all stand together in silence for a few moments, letting Elena digest that someone just died, when we hear a noise from outside. Glancing up, I see the familiar face of Alaric Saltzman eerily glide past the small window in the door. _Unsurprising. _

Damon immediately tenses up, and Stefan nods at him to go and wipe the memory of the very vervained teacher. He vanishes with his vamp speed, and I sigh.

I need to go to _bed. _

I'm going to have blisters tomorrow.

* 

Elena went to go grab her purse from the dance drop-off, and it left me and the Salvatore brothers alone in the hallway. Damon leans up against the wall before thinking out loud.

"There's no _way_ that idiot was working alone."

Stefan glances up, and I can't tell what he's thinking. Probably about how he's going to stab his brother in the back. _Alessia does not approve of that move._

"So, the _grimoire," _The younger Salvatore starts, "That's what you need to reverse the spell?"

I glance up at them both, paying attention to their expressions. Damon's eyes have grown colder, but he still smiles impishly at his brother as Stefan walks closer.

"When the founding families burned her, they took her things, and _you _were hoping that Dad's journal would tell you where it is."

_Man, the witch-hunts were a bad time to be alive._

"Look at _you_ putting the pieces together," Damon mocks, "Good for you. But, lucky for me, my favorite witch already has it. So, you can go kick rocks, _Stefan_."

He pauses briefly, putting a finger up to his lips, "Unless you're trying to get in our way. In that case, _let_ _the_ _games_ _begin_."

Stefan's eyes look almost earnest as he replies, "My offer still stands."

What a talented liar.

"Yeah, with some hidden caveats, no doubt," Damon bites back, clearly still unhappy with Stefan trying to starve him to death last week. I don't blame him, I'd be pretty pissed with Bons over it, too.

"No," Stefan placates, and I have to admire his lying skills. I don't know how he's good at lying to his brother, but so bad at lying to Klaus later on. Oh, well. Stefan continues to gaze at Damon, "Nothing hidden about it. No lies. No deception. I'm there when you open that tomb, you and Katherine go, and the other twenty six vampires die."

Damon's got his game face on, clearly looking for Stefan to slip up and reveal his intentions, "If I agree?"

"I'll help you."

The elder Salvatore's eyes grow hard, and it's kinda hard to see two brothers who _want_ to hate each other so badly.

"Why should I trust you?"

"Because I'm your brother."

_Oh, come on, Stefan,_ I think as I roll my eyes, _You both know that won't do._

"No, that's not gonna cut it," Damon states the obvious.

Finally, Stefan's eyes look completely genuine as he says, "Because I want you _gone_."

This gives Damon pause, making him look over Stefan for a few moments before glancing at me. I look back, hopefully communicating with my eyes that I have no idea whether this is a good deal or not.

Turning back to Stefan, Damon takes a deep inhale, clearly pushing aside some valid trust issues in his desperation to get to Katherine.

"Okay."

And that word hurts me, because I know just how badly it's going to backfire.

_This shit is way more of a tire fire in person._

_*_


	20. Nineteen

**Anagapesis: **_def. _no longer feeling any affection for someone you once loved

Chapter 18: I'm Going To Hell With A Smile.

Ladies and gents this is the moment you've waited for.

It had been two days since the stalker incident, the night of the full moon, and I was _pumped. _No one was kidnapped this time around, instead I got a breakfast with Anna and gave her the rundown of what exactly would happen, and where she should be when it does. This kinda felt like a save point in a really difficult video game, or maybe more like a boss battle. It had been insanely stressful trying to keep everything from going to shit, and a small part of me was worried how long I could stand trying to stop these idiots from getting us all killed.

Rubbing the knot on my back that was proof of my stress, I look back down at Emily's grimoire.

Grams wasn't involved, me and Bons had all the power we needed thanks to Emily's talisman, the grimoire was present, Damon was here, hell, even Anna was around (albeit in the woods, hidden like I suggested), and we were ready to go. In all essence, I have done a _fantastic _job.

Nobody useful is dead, no one was kidnapped, everything had been going smoothly as me and Bons set up in th cool, damp cavern. At least, that _was _the case until Stefan and Elena showed up..

With Grams.

Blinking once, then twice, as if maybe if I do it hard enough she won't actually be here, I'm a bit frozen. Bonnie is the first one to react.

"What the _hell _is my grandma doing here, _Elena?!_"

Grams flinches a bit at how Bonnie doesn't call her 'Grams', but I can't help being extremely _angry _that Stefan brought her here.

Elena stutters out, "W-we thought it'd be a good idea to bring extra witch power."

_Fucking lying bitch. They brought her so she could either convince us to trap Damon, or do it herself._

Bonnie is livid, face red and hands clenched, she looks like she's gonna maul the doppelgänger, "_And you thought bringing my elderly, **alcoholic** grandmother was a good idea?!!"_

Doppelena looks like she's about to cry, but my glare is fixed hard and heavy on Stefan Salvatore. He doesn't look away, accepting my anger, and in a weird way, it makes me that much _more_ pissed off. I suddenly feel a large, cold hand on my shoulder, and I turn to see a face on Damon that I've never seen before.

It's a face that's _pleading _with me to let him in. Let him go inside and break his own heart. Jesus Christ, this is a mess. _Everything's gonna be okay, stay focused._ I realize that I had been breathing heavily, and Damon's blue eyes pierce mine. Turning back to the unwelcome three, I roll my eyes, blowing out a large sigh and pinching my nose in annoyance.

"_You,_" I say harshly, pointing at my Grams and making her wince at my cold tone, "are going to _wait _right up against that fucking wall until we're done. We don't _need _your help, and you're not a _stupid_ witch, so you know that you're not healthy enough to do this spell with us. If you _really _want to help next time, _quit **fucking** drinking."_

The cavern is silent momentarily, before Grams steps forward, her eyes showing she's going to be as stubborn as I am at the moment. "You are both too young to attempt this. You are trifling with powers you don't understand!"

"I am well _aware _of the powers I use!" I snap back, not in the mood to be talked down to by someone who knew _nothing_. "You _will _either stay on that wall or out of this cave. If I have to use force, _I will._"

Grams' dark eyes widen in shock, stunned that I'd threaten her over this, but I meant what I said. If me and her went toe_-_to-toe right now, I'd win, no questions asked. She was out of practice, old, and unhealthy. Her connection to nature was feeble at best, and she would not beat me. Suddenly, I feel a warm, small hand clasp mine tightly.

I turn to see Bons, who glances at me momentarily before turning her steely gaze back to Grams.

"I will, too."

We three Bennett women all stood in tense silence, realizing just how serious this had become. How _unfixable _things could turn out if Grams didn't stand down. This was a _mess._

"You.. You would _threaten _me? The one who's raised you? Done nothing but _loved _you and _taught _you?" The stubborn old woman's gaze softens in it's bullheadedness, but it's turned bitter and cold.

"I have done _everything _for you both. I _loved _you. I took care of you when your parents walked out, gave you a home and food to eat. Now, because I've taught you what I know, you use that knowledge _against me? _Fine then. If you _children_ wish to defy me, you can go and kill yourselves. Be on your own. But, do not expect me to save you."

_Well, that was a little bit too **positive** of a critique on her parenting. She's an alcoholic. She was rarely there when we needed her. Better gone than dead._

And with that, me and Bonnie's last family member _left._ I watched as she slowly ascended up the staircase, not even looking back at us. First mom, then dad, and now _her. _Grinding my teeth, I can't look away from the stairwell Grams ascended, so instead I squeeze Bonnie's hand tight, and will back the tears threatening the corners of my eyes. The personal issues were swelling like a tsunami, and the faster we got this stupid fucking ritual done, the sooner I could be there for Bonnie, who's hand was trembling in my own.

_It'll always be **Bonnie** and **I**. Always has been, always will **be**._

Glancing around the room, I see an odd trio of reactions to what has occurred. Elena has her hand clasped over her mouth in shock, Stefan looks increasingly pained, as if I was jiffy-popping his brain, and Damon looks like he has seen something that spooked him. _Gotta love when family business turns into everyone's business. _Squeezing Bons' hand twice, I then let go, turning back to Damon and the ritual.

"Let's get this over with."

Grabbing the butane lighter, I look to start lighting the torches, but realize that they are already burning bright. _Stupid witch emotions. _I roll my eyes before tossing the lighter over my shoulder, instead turning to Bonnie, who looks like she's trying her best to hold it together as she reads back over Emily's grimoire.

_I wonder if I look the same._

Deciding to just ignore my emotions for the next thirty minutes, I go into 'logical' mode, instead staring to prep the rest of Nature's Altar.

This particular altar is used to give a bit of permanence to a witch's spell in certain situations. It consisted of basically a little pile of rocks and crystals, toss some water onto it, and four lit torches facing north, south, east, and west. _Air, Water, Fire, and Earth. A witch's basics._ Pulling out the jug of water I had out of my backpack, I toss it over the rock pile.

"Wait, isn't that your water bottle? Isn't it supposed to be blessed or something?" Elena asks, apparently recovered from the situation but not reading the room properly.

"Water is water, Elena," I reply with a roll of my eyes, putting my water back and instead grabbing Emily's talisman. The rush of power it sends through me gives me goosebumps, and despite my now very bad mood, it was electric and brought a small smile to my face. No pressure on her end, and it made me feel a slight bit of relief, although, not much considering the ritual hadn't been completed yet.

Holding the talisman tight in my palm, I turn to face Bonnie who's standing in the center of the pentagram. I give her a small, sad smile. _I'm sorry, Bons. _She gives me one back as I walk towards her, grabbing my hands softly while maneuvering to clasp Emily's necklace as well. _Me too, Lessy._

Closing my eyes, I focus on my magic, swirling, tumultuous, and finally, calm as I take a few deep breaths. There'd be time to fall apart later. Breathing slowly, my magic slowly swirls to connect with Bonnie's, and once again I feel a sense of comfort. Bonnie was always easy to be with. I could only hope that she found comfort in me as much.

_"Phasmatos Salves Nas Ex Malon, __Terra Mora Vantis Quo Incandis, Et Vasa Quo Ero Signos."_

Bonnie and I continued this chant over and over. While in the deep hum of my meditative state, I could vaguely hear the Salvatores and Elena chatting, but it was nothing compared to the roar of the earth. The constant shifting of plates and swirling magma, the ocean's push and pull, the wind's mighty howl. Emily's talisman has _truly _been a magnifier, and I almost feel as if I am _one _with nature as we continue our spell.

Then, I felt the strain. The glass ceiling that was supposed to stop this spell from being fully completed, and Bonnie and I pushed our magic hard against it. Even _with _the talisman, this was proving to be quite difficult, and I had started to think we might not succeed until it budged slightly. Cracking like a windshield, the ancient spell shattered, and I could _feel_ its strength being released. It was such a rush that it made my eyes snap open.

Blinking rapidly, my eyes meet Bonnie's olive greens, and I can see that this ordeal was just as difficult for her judging by the matching sheen of sweat on her forehead and matching rough breathing.

_We'd done it. _

Rushing over to her, I squeeze her _tight _and she immediately reciprocates just as tightly_. _We had done _such_ a good job.

Releasing Bonnie, I turn to Damon with happy, yet tired eyes. "It's _open_, D."

His gaze is bright enough to make the stars jealous, and there is barely even a hint of doubt in his crystalline blue eyes. Damon stares at me, a bit in disbelief, before nodding and turning to his brother, "We got some fires to build."

The green eyed god nods, looking to Elena, "I'm gonna get some gasoline, I'll be right back."

Glancing up at him, I wave my hand to catch the younger Salvatore's attention before he leaves, and he arches a thick brow in question.

"You mind taking her with you? Bons and I gotta talk for a sec."

He immediately assumes it's about Grams and promptly grabs Elena's hand, ascending the staircase without another word. _Well, he's wrong. _Glancing around the 'room', I realize that Damon has entered the tomb without making a peep. It makes me smile that he didn't feel the need to take a hostage. I must've really proven myself trustworthy to him.

I start to whistle the tune of 'We're Off To See The Wizard', and Bonnie and I are unsurprised when Anna appears in the tomb. She looks like she's about to speak, but Bons lifts a finger to her lips, tilting her adorable head over to the large stone door with the pentagram carved on it. I then mouth, 'fifteen seconds' and receive a quick nod in return. She disappears, and I hope that Damon is too distracted trying to find Katherine to hear them getting her mother.

Hearing another _whoosh _of air blow through, I smile. _Flawless. _Stefan and Elena appear a few minutes later, all smiles and blushes, and I feel myself get a bit angry that they thought they were off the hook for _ruining my relationship with my grandmother._ Oh no, I'd be paying them both back for that. And then, I hear something that makes my heart _ache_ painfully.

"_SHE'S NOT **HERE**!!" _

Closing my eyes tightly in an attempt to erase the absolute _anguish _that I heard in Damon's voice, I feel a wisp of air fly past as Stefan rushes into the tomb. Elena, of course, starts to panic.

"What's going on?! Alessia, what did you do??"

_The real question is what **didn't** I do._

Bonnie immediately snaps back, "Why do you automatically assume it's her fault? Why do you _always _do that?"

Because, Elena always needs a 'bad guy', or just someone to blame. That's the simple answer, anyway. I smile at my sister's protective nature over me, placing a hand on her shoulder as I gesture to the cavern entrance, letting her know I'm going to go in and finish the job. Or at least make _sure_ it gets finished.

Bending down and grabbing a flashlight off of the dusty ground, I quickly make my way through the rock door, looking for Stefan and Damon. After passing by several desiccating vamps, I find them at the very end of the corridor, Stefan standing very stiffly.

Damon is a mess. There's blood all over the wall where he splattered the blood bag that was supposed to be Katherine's, and Damon looks like he doesn't know whether to scream, cry, break something, or break _down. _I see that some of the blood has splattered on his face, and that's when he notices I'm there. His eyes are wide, surprised, and overwhelmingly broken-hearted.

He stares me down, and I don't know whether he's looking to see if I had something to do with this, or looking for a friend. Never being good at dealing with emotions, I stuff my hands in my pockets, slowly walking towards him and keeping eye contact.

Damon's blue eyes are so _angry _and _hurt_ and I don't know how to fix it, so instead, I grab the small plastic pack of Kleenex out of my jeans, pulling one out of the plastic folding as I get close enough to touch him.

I hope my gaze is soft and compassionate, but I'm unsure as Damon breathes hard in front of me, barely keeping his broken heart together as his blue eyes stay locked on mine. Wiping off the stray blood with the Kleenex slowly before throwing it on the floor, I give him a weak smile and he looks briefly stunned.

"Today is _not _our day, D," I sigh, opening my arms in an offer for a hug, "Mind being my fake boyfriend for a sec? I need emotional support."

I knew Damon wouldn't take my pity directly, but if instead we were just both sad together, I was pretty sure it'd leave his already cracked pride intact. He glares at me momentarily, and I decide right then and there that if he pushes me away, it won't bother me too much. Instead, he runs a shaky hand through his hair, before battening down the hatches on his facial expressions, instead giving me a weak smirk.

"You send _awfully _mixed messages, Alessia." He sighs, but his voice is thick with emotion as he pulls me right into his arms. I feel his shaky breath as he tries to get a hold on his intense emotions, burying his nose in my hair. My fingers tighten around the leather on his back, and I hold him just as tightly against me, whispering in his ear.

"_I'm so, so sorry, Damon._"

And I truly was.

*

Damon had let me go after a few seconds, realizing his brother was still there and was looking shocked, before quickly putting on his 'Damon the Dick' hat. We three proceeded to burn the rest of the corpses, me double checking afterwards that we'd gotten all of them.

It was a very long night, and both me and my sister were mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted. So, here we sat in the car, not having moved since we parked it in front of Caroline's fifteen minutes ago. It was all so surreal. Sure, Grams wasn't dead, but she wanted nothing to do with us after our disobedience, and I couldn't help but wonder if she was like this in the original timeline.

Was I too rash?

_No_. Grams would've kept trying to be part of the ritual if I had said anything less, and I had no idea whether or not our ancestors had attempted to reach out to her. I knew for a fact now, that if Grams had to choose between us and our ancestors, she'd choose them.

My heart ached. Just how many times would me and Bons be left behind? The inherent sense of childhood 'I'm bad, so it's my fault' comes in full swing, and I feel a torrent of tears spill down my cheeks. I didn't know whether it was worse to have her dead, or have her alive and want nothing to do with us.

Everything just felt so _complicated_, because while I did blame myself for how the evening had gone down, I was also angry because Grams wasn't blameless either.

She lied to us.

She neglected us.

She drank all the time.

She left me, a child, to take care of Bonnie.

She and our parents were the reason me and Bonnie were bullied by the founding families growing up.

She _**left**_.

I look to my left to check on Bons, and see she's in a similar state of heartbreak once again. _Just how many times would we go through this cycle?_ She sniffles, glassy green eyes spilling tears down her honey cheeks, and her lips tremble.

"Lessy, is there something _wrong_ with us?"

Reaching over the console, I grab her hand and squeeze it comfortingly with a weak smile, "Nah, Bons. We just have really shitty Bennett luck."

She wipes her face as she chuckles sadly. "Do you think she meant what she said?"

"I don't know," I say quietly, turning to look out the windshield as more tears roll down my cheeks.

"But, if she did, don't worry, B. It's gonna be me and you till the end of time."

She squeezes my hand even tighter as she holds back her sobs. What a strong little Bennett witch.

*

**_A/n: Hi all! Hope you enjoyed this sad chapter, it wasn't super easy for me to write, but it was important for what I have planned for the Bennett witches. Don't worry, this isn't me shoddily writing Grams out of the story. She'll be back sooner than you think._**

*


	21. Twenty(RE-UPLOAD)

**_A/N: Hey everyone! I'd like to apologize for the re-upload. I have been rewatching some of the seasons to see if maybe I could get past season three, and after rewatching season 6, I think my irritation with Elena's character arc flared up in this chapter, so I fixed it! Sorry for the emotional writing, but this really is just me writing without an outline. If you already read the original, I've added like 1,000 words, so I recommend reading again._**

**_Thank you for the constructive criticism! _****_I'm not a very good writer haha. Anyway, hope you enjoy the reviewed and renewed chapter!_**

**_*_**

**Pistanthrophobia: **_def. _the fear of trusting people due to past experiences

Chapter 20: Keep Moving Forward.

All was quiet for the war council over the next week. There was no resurgence of tomb vampires, so really, my list of things to worry about was small potatoes compared to before. It essentially boiled down to this: Anna and Pearl, John Gilbert, and prepping for the return of Katherine Pierce within the next couple weeks. Me and Bons stayed out of the way for the most part of the little stuff.

Stefan was still a vegetarian, or at least I hadn't heard otherwise, since he wasn't nearly dead from tomb vampires. But, I wouldn't be going out of my way to help. Him and Elena could _suffer. _I also guessed that Jeremy had found Elena's diary, which btw is a _terrible _way to keep personal information, because he was avoiding me, Bons, and Care like the _plague_.

Speaking of Caroline, she and Matt had started dating, and both Bonnie and I knew it wasn't going to last for different reasons. Matt just _wasn't _over Elena, and as sad as we were that Caroline was going to get hurt, we couldn't shatter that dream for her after everything that's happened. Caroline Forbes deserved more than a few weeks of happiness and normality, but we'd make do with what we had.

Bonnie was, in all essence, not good, and I knew I wasn't good either. The recent blowup within our family had made us both a bit reclusive, not really going out and doing anything outside of school and cheer. Actually, we were talking about making daylight rings for cash. As much as I don't love the idea of a bunch of vamps being able to walk where they please, this would be a very _quick _way to get money to get our own place.

I would be eighteen in a few months, and we would be able to move out from Caroline's house, not that the Forbes minded us being there. I honestly think that Care is glad to have the company, since her mom is rarely home anyway, and she didn't have siblings to talk to, this was like adopting new siblings who happened to be her favorite people.

Bonnie still hadn't spoken to Elena or Stefan, and for that matter neither had I, but Bons not having anything to do with them was more significant. Me and Stefan weren't close, and clearly me and Elena had a mutual dislike for each other, so there was no love lost for me. Bonnie, on the other hand, wasn't _speaking_ to her best friend, and I knew that it pained her significantly. Not that the doppelgänger didn't deserve to be iced out. Both of them did.

Damon Salvatore was in full blown 'Damon the Dick' style mourning. Drinking down college girls and shipping them back, being overly sarcastic and bitter, and genuinely not caring about much. Oddly enough, he was becoming a bit of a fixture for our trio, however, having us all come over for drinks and banter occasionally, and it was heartwarming to see that he wasn't completely shutting down on himself. Not to say his self destructive behavior had stopped though. He was very much still a murderous prick, and proved as much at the date auction and the grieving party for the founding families.

Actually, that woman he talked about, Isobel, would be another potential problem.

Rolling my eyes, I realize that this is quite the mental checklist, and honestly, I don't really _wanna._ My brain had been happy not worrying so much for the past week, and I'd only _just _gotten Tyler to rub out the stress knot on my back. Yeah, I know, surprisingly, Tyty's very talented at massaging sore muscles.

Back to the point.

So here I am, parked behind Caroline's pretty blonde head and fashioning her curls in a body wave to win Miss Mystic Falls. Bons was downstairs with Ty and Matt, not wanting to be around Elena in the dressing room on the off chance she lit something on fire.. Like Elena's head.

Care Bear looks _flawless, _and I can't help but wonder how a certain Original would react if he saw her now rather than later. Speaking of Klaus, I also needed the moonstone. But, I'd have to wait for Mason to come back to know where the hell that was, so _again_, back burner.

_Jesus, my brain has been **scattered** since opening the tomb. _

Caroline smiles nervously at me from the mirror. "Oh _god_, Lessy, I want to win this _so _bad. I might cry if I lose."

Putting her curling iron down, I reach down and rub her shoulders comfortingly before shaking her slightly for being so silly.

"_Care!_ You got this. There's not _one_ girl in this room that matches your community service, your dedication to making Mystic Falls a wonderful place to live, and your _obsession _with making every event pristine. Trust me when I say, you're going to win this thing."

"You telling me my fortune, Aless?" Her tone is playful, but she doesn't look like she believes me, biting her lip nervously before reaching to reapply her pink lipstick, "Elena's going to win. She's better at everything, and as angry as I am with her over her attitude the last couple weeks, I know it's true."

I roll my caramel eyes, turning my attention towards finishing off the rest of her waves with some spray to keep the flyaways in place. "Caroline, you beautiful _idiot. _You're gonna end up owing me a Reese's milkshake when you win."

She raises a fine blonde brow, "I thought your favorite was cookies n' cream?"

Shrugging, I finish the final touches and wave my hand to display my masterpiece with a flourish, "I'm all about trying new things this year. Also, you're welcome."

She rolls her eyes at me, and looks as if she's about to clap back a sarcastic reply when the door leading out of the dressing room opens, revealing Elena Gilbert and her Aunt Jenna. _Of course she's late. She doesn't actually care about this._

My eyes immediately narrow, and I feel myself quickly getting _angry_ rather than my typical annoyance when it came to the doppelgänger.

Giving Caroline a look that says 'I'm gonna get outta here before I slap this bitch', I quickly exit the room, giving Elena a venomous smile on my way out. She blinks at me, as if she doesn't quite understand why I'm _still_ pissed at her, and that only serves to fuel the flames further.

Striding out into the main hallway, and not really paying attention to what's around me, I'm surprised when I'm pulled back by a gentle grip on my arm. Spinning around quickly, I breathe out a sigh of relief that it's the ever so snarky Damon and _not_ Stefan. The jerk kept trying to talk to me, even though I made it abundantly clear that his presence wasn't wanted, and I was debating carrying my vervain stakes with me _everywhere _to help get the point across.

"Hey," he says quickly, no typical grin on his face, so I can tell he's not in the best mood with John Gilbert being back in town, "we've got a bit of a _problem._"

"Problem?" I ask with an arched brow.

"Yeah, and as much as you're not gonna like it, Elena and Caroline need to know, too." My eyes narrow once again, and he puts his hands up, "Hey, I don't like it either, but I absolutely _hate _repeating myself."

Groaning loudly, I nod in acquiescence, mostly because if it's something he'd drag me to see _Elena _for, it has to be serious, and I seriously doubted that Stefan was going all ripper. He smirks at the quick win, and proceeds to drag me back where I had left a few minutes prior.

_This is turning out to be a rough day._

Walking in right as Amber leaves, clearly panicked, Caroline, Jenna, and Elena are all who are in the room. All eyes snap to us, and Jenna's on Damon like white on rice.

"No one's supposed to be back here-."

Damon cuts her off, striding directly to her and saying, "You're going to walk out of this room and forget I came in. You finished helping Elena get ready and want to go see Ric."

The compulsion takes effect promptly, her eyes glassing over as she repeats the order back to him, and he smiles insincerely at her before unceremoniously shoving her out of the door. Caroline looks at me in confusion, and I give her an exaggerated shrug back, showing that I dunno what the fuck is going on.

Frankly, it's a bit refreshing.

Elena looks at Damon expectantly, and with a bit of anger in her doe eyes. "What the hell, Damon! Don't just _compel _my aunt-!"

He cuts the doppelgänger off mid-tangent, "I just _did, _but that's outside the point. We need to talk."

"Right now?" The doppelgänger asks, holding up her dress that she _still _has yet to change into, and the pageant starts in twenty minutes.

"I'm not typically the first one to agree with Elena," my favorite blonde says, "but she has a point. This can't wait thirty minutes?"

Rolling his crystalline blue eyes at how he hasn't been able to make his point yet, he sighs audibly before starting, "Normally_,_ I'd have a _completely_ different outlook on what I'm about to tell you all, but since it could really inconvenience me, I'll _squeal._"

His debonair smile coupled with his general 'don't give a fuck' air are extremely familiar, and I already know what the bad news is. The only question is _how the hell did Stefan get back on human blood?_

Scoffing, Elena shakes her pretty brown doppelgänger head at Damon's verbiage, and I can see Caroline prepping to digest really badinformation.

"What are you talking about?" The doppelgänger asks, and I can't help the small amount of glee I feel that I'll get to witness Elena freak out. _Serves her right._

"Stefan's still drinking human blood."

Caroline gasps, clapping a hand over mouth, and I pretend to act surprised at this information drop. "'_Still'?_ What do you mean 'still'? You never told us he started in the first place, you dick."

He glares at me, but it has no real heat behind it. "I _would've, _if I thought your little war council gave two shits about it. Remember? You said, and I quote, 'don't bring up _Stelena _in my presence'."

_Oh yeah. I forgot about that._

I shrug it off sheepishly, and Damon rolls his eyes again before turning back to a now very concerned doppelgänger.

"What?" The brown haired girl asks in disbelief.

"Yeah," is Damon's nonchalant reply, "A month ago, I would've _rejoiced. _But, with the Council still on their toes, it is _not _a good time for Stefan to fly off the handle."

Caroline's blue eyes meet mine nervously, but I nod in reassurance. I had told Bons and Care about rippers a _long _while back, and they were well aware that Stefan had a bit of a drinking problem from the _numerous _hints Damon dropped when we were all drunk.

_But, I'd protect my Care Bear with my life, even if that meant ending Stefan's._

She seems to get the message, and nods shakily back, turning to look back at Damon. "So, he's gone on a binge?"

Before Damon gets to answer in the affirmative, Elena interrupts, "I know he's been a little _edgy _lately, but he said that was normal."

_Elena. Stupid, ignorant Elena. He's as much of an addict as Vicki is/was. Thinking of which, I should check on her soon. My list of shit to do continues to grow._

Damon shakes his head at her, "He has a fridge full of stolen blood bank contraband in the house. So, yes, Caroline, before I was so _rudely _interrupted, he's on a bit of a bender."

Care clasps her hands together nervously, taking a few moments to calm herself down as Elena plops her butt on the chair incredulously. "Oh my _god._"

Damon strides around the room, looking all debonair and professional, and honestly it makes my cheeks flush a bit at how in charge of the situation he is.

_Oof, those daddy issues are a **powerful** drug._

"His entire _existence _isn't normal. Normal to a vampire is drinking human blood. But, he spent all this time _fighting _it, when he should've been learning how to _control _it. And now, it's controlling _him _instead."

"I-I can't believe this! I mean, it's _Stefan _we're talking about here," Elena says breathlessly in response.

Groaning, I roll my eyes at Elena's persistent ignorance and she glares at me, "I understand you're upset with me and Stefan, but this is serious, Alessia."

I glare right back at her, laughing snidely, "I know that, but do you? He's a vampire, _dipshit_. And not only that, the dude is a bonafide blood-aholic. And as much as I _loathe_ both you and Stefan, we're wasting time talking about your feelings when we should be either getting him clean or getting him under control. I don't want Damon to die because of you two's stupid decisions."

Damon's eyebrows raise in pleasant surprise, while Elena's lower into a scowl, "I thought I was just an annoyance to you."

I smile at her mockingly, "Well, _congratulations_. You've upgraded to the gold package of Bennett disdain. Bonnie included, free of charge."

Her face becomes slightly pained at the mention of her ex-bff, and I turn to face Damon now that I've sufficiently shut her up for a moment. I'm about to speak, but pause when I hear something- a slight creaking on the other side of the door. I tilt my head towards it mouthing, 'Stefan', and Damon is, thankfully, quick on the uptake.

Unfortunately, Elena is not, and doesn't understand what the hell I'm doing.

"What _about_ Stefan?" She asks, and I have to close my eyes and center myself before I 'accidentally' smack her for being so unaware of her surroundings. Luckily for me, Caroline is right beside her and smacks her shoulder _hard. _

The door opens as Elena yelps in pain, revealing a very _skittish _looking Stefan Salvatore, and I can't help but snark, "And my dislike continues to _grow_ in regards to you, Elena."

Stefan looks a bit confused, but I can guess that he's probably been listening to us for a minute. If we were lucky, it was only for 'the gold package' part, but I doubted it.

_Ugh, when did everything get so serious? The constant planning is starting to age me._

_Oh, **no**. What if this gives me wrinkles? I have a baby face, I can't pull those off. I'll look all saggy._

Stefan's voice knocks me out of my pubescent-life crisis.

"Uh, what's going on in here?" His tone has the correct amount of suspicion, but looking into his calculating green eyes, I can tell that he's heard more than I'd hoped. Damon must've come to that conclusion as well, because he tells the truth.

Turning, he smiles at Stefan, "Just filling Elena and Co. on your extracurricular activities."

Stefan's eyes turn cold and unflinching, but his pleasant smile stays on his face as he scoffs.

"What are you talking about?"

I'm feeling very much like an unnecessary accessory in this conversation as Stelena lock eyes. It's impeccable how they can make the rest of the room feel like a third wheel.

"I-I know about the blood, Stefan. But it's okay, we can fix it."

_Oof, I do not wanna be here._

Damon takes the lead in exiting the awkward tension, "Well, _I'm_ getting a drink, any plus ones?"

"I'm game," is my immediate answer, and Caroline is right behind me.

"Yeah, I'll go wait at the line up!" She replies a little too brightly, the bizarre tension in the room making her noticeably antsy.

With that, we all promptly exit the room, and I can't help but heave a sigh of relief that I don't have to witness their romantic issues in full flux.

Damon carries on down the grand staircase, but I pause momentarily to look at my pretty blonde bestie.

"You drank your vervain tea this morning, right?"

She nods fervently, blonde hair bouncing, "Totally, Aless. And I'm still wearing that locket you and Bonnie gave me. I'll be fine, just... Watch him, okay? I don't want this ruined. Not after working so hard for it."

I furrow my brows momentarily, because stopping Stefan is equivalent to helping him and Doppelena, but shake myself out of it for Care Bear's sake. "Don't worry, chica. Your Willow is on the case."

I promptly turn to head down the stairs with a grin as Caroline gasps, "I _knew _you watched Buffy!!"

*

Sipping out of the glass of champagne that I swiped earlier, my interest is currently being held by watching Anna and Jeremy out of the corner of my eye. Their banter is relatively adorable, and I'm saying that as someone who doesn't like Jeremy all that much. The couple is all longing glances and playful joking, and I can't help that I'm a _wee_ bit jealous that Little Gil of all people has beat me in the relationship race.

Or, at least, I _was _until I saw Stefan pulling out poor little Amber by the arm. _Goddammit._

I knew the sweet girl would live, but my promise to Care Bear would not be ignored if my conscience had anything to say about it. With a roll of my eyes, I down the rest of my drink for good luck and set it in a nearby plant. _I'm sure the waiters won't mind. _

Gliding gracefully through the room as I smooth out my conservative black dress, I try to use my five D's to avoid any polite conversation with the people of this town. One of them being the one and only John Gilbert.

"Alessia Bennett. I haven't seen you in a while, how've you been."

Smiling politely, I quickly say, "Hey, John. How's the wife? Still haven't got one? Well, that's my bad. Gotta blast, but this has been a _wonderful_ chat."

His face has gone slack at my disinterest, and I quickly slide past him and out the front door.

_John Gilbert can collect himself on his own time. I'm busy._

Quickly walking until I'm out of sight, I pick up my pace to a jog, which let me tell you is not _easy _in five inch heels. What? I like to feel tall.

The driveway is long, but, eventually, I come across Stefan and Amber, the former pacing vigorously while gesturing. As I get closer, I start to hear bits and pieces of what he's saying.

"I'm not very good to be around right now," he erratically spouts out to the compelled girl, and even though I've seen this, it seems much more visceral now. "I've-I've been drinking the human stuff and it's really been screwing with my head."

_I'd feel a bit bad for him, but.. I don't. _

He got himself into this, and now _I _had to get him out. What a headache. I shouldn't have promised Caroline. He lets out a large exhale, starting to panic about Elena knowing when I'm finally close enough to be noticed by the pair.

"Hey there, Stefano. Long time, no talk."

He doesn't glare at me, he just looks at me as if it pains him to see me. Stefan runs a large hand through his hair apprehensively, blowing out another large expanse of air as Amber smiles warmly at me. "Oh, hi, Alessia. Are you here to help Stefan?"

I nod back, and give the poor sweet girl a smile back. "That's right. So, Stefan, how about you compel her to forget about this and I'll take you back to the boardinghouse. Pinky swear I'm not locking you in that gross ass basement."

Amber smiles brightly once again, "Oh, that's just wonderful. You can help him not be so sad!"

Stefan groans, "I'm not _sad. _I'm _freakin' **hungry**._"

I can't help but laugh at how emphatic he is, but immediately switch it over to a fake cough when he shoots a very mean glare my way. _Rude. _

"Come on, Stef," I ask quietly, knowing that this is the last time I'm going to ask and the next time is going to be a lot more forceful.

His pretty green eyes are exceedingly conflicted and darker than normal. I can see the frustration, and more fervently the _hunger_there, and it sends dangerous tingles up and down my spine. My gaze remains unflinching, and I see Stefan's soften for the smallest fraction of a second before he flashes in front of the still happy Amber.

"You're going to forget the last fifteen minutes happened. You felt sick, so you decided to opt out of the pageant," he orders in a strained voice, clearly trying to rein himself in for a few moments. She nods, and he quickly adds, "Now, sprint back up to the party and _don't look back._"

She nods once more, eyes glazed before she takes off up the driveway, leaving me alone with the quickly-descending-into-madness ripper. Turning back my attention solely on Stefan, I can't help the bitterness over Grams that settles in the pit of my stomach. It must show, because the younger Salvatore momentarily grimaces, looking down guiltily at his dress shoes.

"Why are you helping me? I _ruined_ your family, Alessia."

Rolling my eyes at the melodrama, I cross my arms, "I'm aware, dude. I was there. But, that's besides the point. Come on, we need to get out of here."

His gaze turns hard, and I see the hunger reappear much more strongly in his eyes as his veins descend. Stefan's broad shoulders tense, and he growls out, "You _know _I can't just do that, Alessia."

_Fine. Hard way it is, then._

Not thinking twice about it, I quickly shoot a spell to burst his blood vessels. Stefan instantly cries out in pain, clutching his head as he collapses to the floor. Methodically, I grab the needle of vervain tea that I had kept in my hand bag just in case something _vampy _happened today.

What? I didn't know if my being here would change who was on the menu today, and I like being prepared. Also, like I said, Stefan's been bothering me as of late, so it might've also been for him. He lashes around on the floor, but I quickly stab the shot into his neck, causing his long eyelashes to flutter shut with a final painful groan.

Looking around, I'm happy to see that no one is outside where they could see me, but groan loudly once I realize a major issue.

My car was parked four cars down from here.

**_GODDAMMIT. _**

I'd have to heft Stefan's muscular, tall ass down this hill to get him into my car in these _stupid _heels. I quickly pull out my phone, sending a text to Bons, Care, and Damon letting them know to head home together.

_Ugh. Today is really not my day._

*


	22. Twenty One

**Argonaut: **_def. _a person in quest of something dangerous, but rewarding; an adventurer

Chapter 21: I'm Sorry, Do I Look Like A Babysitter?

————

**From: **

Damon

**Msg: **if you help fix Stefan, ill pay you

————

Well, that's an easy decision.

It's been about thirty minutes since I got baby Salvatore back to the boardinghouse, and I was getting quite bored, so I was grateful to see the previously unconscious vamp start to stir. Stefan slowly blinks awake, and I grin at how freaked out he looks when he notices that he's on his living room couch. Flipping another page in my magazine, I look up at the disoriented vamp before taking another sip of the vervain tea I'd made like five minutes prior.

He immediately attempts to lunge at me, but with a wave of my fingers I push him back on the couch and hold him there.

"Good morning, beautiful! Sleep well?" I ask as I toss him a blood bag. Instead of sipping out of it like a juice box like Damon does, he tears into it like jerky and makes a bloody mess all over his handsome mouth. I have to take a moment to question my sanity that I think it makes him look a 'wild' sort of attractive.

_I need a therapist._

"Your lack of manners is a bit refreshing, but we actually need to talk before the rest of the Scooby gang get here."

His bright forest green eyes look up at me, and I can see he's riding a bit of a wave of ecstasy after downing the life juice. "About what? Talk fast, before I get too hungry again."

Oh, so this version of him really is a lot more snarky. What a breath of fresh air from the constant brood fest.

"Well, for starters, which would you prefer: learning how to drink human blood, or getting clean on animal blood again?"

He glares at me, "I'm a _vampire_, Alessia. I was created knowing how to drink human blood."

Rolling my eyes, I pull the magazine off my lap onto the couch, then lean forward, clasping my hands together with a blasé expression on my face. "I mean not drinking blood like a kindergartner at snack time."

His gaze starts to look unfocused once again, instead staring at my neck and licking his bloodied lips. _Oooooh the shivers.. FOCUS. We're mad at him._ I snap my fingers rapidly, trying to get back his attention, but it doesn't work, so I instead heft another blood bag into his lap. He thoroughly tears into and drains the bag in like three seconds, before glancing back up at me, shame floating through his deep gaze.

"Elena will _hate_ me if I keep drinking human blood, and I can't lose her. She thinks Damon is a monster."

_True_.

I shrug, taking another sip of my tea. "If she really loves you, she won't mind. Hell, I can barely stand you and I don't mind you wanting to chomp on people's necks."

His green eyes blink incredulously, and I can't help but wonder why he's so surprised. After a few moments of staring at me, he weakly laughs.

"God, you're such a weird witch."

_Rude_.

"But," he says slowly, "Damon isn't going to teach me. He hates me. I just, I need- God, I don't even fucking _know_, this blood is messing with my head."

I raise my eyebrows. Stefan? _CUSSING_? Who knew that was something I needed in my life? Smiling, I move to go get a refill on my drink, and glance back at him, "You want anything to drink that's not human affiliated while you ponder?"

He puts his head in his hands, groaning, before running his fingers through his bronze bed head. "Something _strong_. And no ice. The burn helps."

_Roger dodger._

I give him a mock salute before turning in the direction of the kitchen, taking my coffee mug with me. God, I'm still so jealous of this kitchen. The teapot is still on the stove where I left it, and I quickly refill my mug. Turning to go grab Stefan a glass of 'something strong', I jump when I find him right behind me.

_Oh shit, lost my focus._

Glaring, I shove his shoulder out of the way, and start walking back over to the living room knowing well that he can smell the vervain on me. "Move it, Stefan. I'm not very tasty right now."

He holds up a glass tumbler full of bourbon and takes a large gulp that looks almost painful, eyes still pretty wild, but somewhat focused. "I know, I can _smell_ you. You put a spell on the house?"

This makes me smirk. "Damn straight, I did. Do you know how much _focus_ it takes for me to just hold _you_, with your blood frenzied vamp strength, in place without accidentally crushing you with my magic? It's just a backup plan. But, I'm not surprised you tried it."

Sighing, I sit on the couch once again, crossing my legs languidly now that I just had to protect myself from getting chomped on instead of restraining him. "You decide what you wanna be living off of? No offense, but Damon is paying me to help you out, and I'd rather get started before they all get back here."

He appears in front of me, breathing heavily once again, and he strains to say, "I-I _can't_ lose Elena over this."

"Why?"

It was a pretty loaded question, and one that I'd been curious about for a hot minute. Like, I knew how the doppelgängers were drawn together or whatever, but how did Stefan rationalize it in his brain? The dude was the definition of a fun sponge when he was eating Bambi and friends, very strict on himself, and exceedingly broody and depressing about his existence as a vampire. Not as bad as Finn Mikaelson, but definitely encroaching on Edward Cullen territory. So, how did the ever so serious vampire explain his obsession with the girl he's known a month?

"What?" Is his incredulous reply back, and I don't blame him for not really getting what I'm asking.

"Why can't you lose Elena?"

"I love her, Alessia."

Rolling my eyes at that logic, I instead start mockingly humming 'What You Won't Do For Love', and he glares down at me momentarily, before softening a bit. "I owe you an apology."

I can't help but scoff into my tea, and I unfold my legs, gaze turning venomous as I stand up and look him dead in his animalistic green eyes, "You 'owe' me _nothing_. If you think that apologizing for wrecking my relationship with Grams is something you _have_ to do instead of something you _want_ to do, you'll have better luck bullshitting your girlfriend than me. I don't want your half-assed apology that just serves to make you feel better."

He looks properly scolded, and I receive my confirmation from the guilt and frustration in his eyes that this is just a way for him to avoid what's gonna happen next. So, I quickly add, "Anyway, quit trying to distract me. If it's you're for keeping Stelena together, you're going back to being vegetarian, Dracula."

And with that, I promptly wave my hand, snapping his neck.

I look at his collapsed body, and feel a bit of a chill from actually using my magic to lethally harm someone for the first time. Even with that Fell douche, I'd only ripped his arm off, and although I knew Stefan would wake up, that would've killed anyone else, and it was still a bit unnerving using nature's gifts for this purpose.

Sighing, I whisper, "_Suprenatet_," and Stefan's body lifts from the floor, trailing behind me as I descend into the weird torture cellar the Salvatores had. Thankfully, I'm fully out of sight of where someone could see me, unlike at the pageant, so I wouldn't have to actually carry him. I'd had a bit of a panic before when someone started walking up the driveway, and had to pretend that he had gotten wasted at the party.

Steering my magic towards the cell, I toss him in there without much care for how he lands and smirk at the loud sound of his body crashing onto the concrete floor. _That'll probably hurt whenever he wakes up._ I turn to head back up the stairs, but pause momentarily. When Stefan tossed Damon in here, he took his daylight ring. Sure, there was a spell on the house, but this would make absolutely certain that even if something happened to me, he'd be stuck down here till Damon let him out.

Stepping quickly as my heels clack on the floor, I grab the large, ugly ring off his finger and shove it in my purse for safekeeping, before promptly turning and locking him in. _Oh, dammit._ I didn't have any animal blood. Maybe he kept some extra in his room.

*

Alright, I might've gotten distracted while adventuring in Stefan's library of a bedroom. But, what would you do if you were surrounded by literature describing a first hand account of the last 160 years? I had just finished reading Stefan's diary on his Ripper period in the Roaring Twenties, and to be frank, it was pretty disturbing. Placing the diary back in its place, I'm once again reminded that this is a terrible way of storing pertinent information, and swear to myself that I'll never adopt the practice.

Continuing to walk along the packed bookshelf, I pause when I feel something pulse from the book I'd absentmindedly stared at for a few seconds. Well, that's weird. Reaching forward, I find an old journal, withered over time unlike the rest of the more well-kept notebooks. Opening the leather binding, I'm a bit surprised to see that it's dated around the same time as Stefan and Damon got turned. In a sporadic case of the butterfingers, I drop the book and several papers fall out.

_Goddammit_.

I crouch down to pick them up and see that I've found the one journal that has Kat's picture in it. I shove it back in the pages, but pause when I feel another pulse from the next paper under my hand.

Slowly observing it, I send out a little bit of my magic to make sure it's not a cursed object, and I see that it's folded quite a bit. Unfolding it, my heart stops.

It's a sketch, a very old one, of a woman dated 1862.

Man. I was really, really hoping that hunch wouldn't be right.

It all made sense, but it didn't really stop my stomach from dropping at the verification. I did have that odd sensation of déja vu from the very start of my life, and I've always known too much. Damon and Stefan both had acted like they had known me, or that I had strong ties with them before I even knew them, and I hadn't wanted to acknowledge it, because I didn't _honestly_ want to know. And with the affirmation that my concerns were somewhat reasonable, I start getting angry.

_I really fucking hope there's not another bitch wearing my face right now, because if I have to deal with this doppelgänger shit, I'll shoot myself in the fucking head._

And with that, I promptly shove the picture back in the book, brushing it off as I hear the rest of the Scooby gang coming into the boardinghouse.

_I'll deal with this once Stefan's sober. Now is not the time._

*

I descend the stairs, and instantly, Elena runs over to me. "Is Stefan alright?"

Nodding, I point my thumb over towards the cellar, and Elena looks at me gratefully before rushing down the basement stairs. Damon looks tired, and surprisingly, so does everyone else. Bons promptly comes over and smacks me hard on the head.

"Ow! _WHY_?!" I yelp, grabbing my now throbbing head in pain.

Bonnie's olive green eyes are ablaze with her anger and I wince at how hard she's glaring at me. Ugh, great, a lecture is coming at me at a hundred miles an hour.

"Alessia _Marie_. I'm your sister, and I love you. But if you ever take off with a fucking _ripper_ again, and only send me one text telling me what you're doing, not letting me know if you're still breathing for over three hours, _I'll kill you myself_."

Yikes. That's a threat. But, I can't help but smile at her affection showing through her rage. What a great little sister.

"Roger that, boss lady. But, really, you should be yelling at D and Care Bear. _She_ made me promise to make sure Stefano wouldn't ruin the pageant, and _he_ offered to pay me to get him clean, which, by the way, you're _welcome_, you two."

She spins on them, apparently unaware of all agreements made, and Damon immediately raises his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, whoa there, she had full rein to say no. Oh, but that reminds me. You two are crashing at Caroline's right?"

We both nod, and I see Caroline realize something and walk back out the front door with a quick, "I forgot something!"

Damon sheepishly shoves his hands in his pockets, glancing around the boardinghouse. "You know, since you're helping out with Stefan, I wouldn't mind if you two stayed here for a bit. I know that Caroline only has one guest room, anyway. You can do whatever ju-ju you want to make it survivable."

I can't help but blink in surprise at the offer, which is unusually nice and out of character. Bonnie's the first one to answer.

"We can't do that to you, Damon-," he cuts her off.

"Oh, whatever. Don't make it a big deal. It's a _boardinghouse_, the place has plenty of space to board, and it's not like me and Stefan are using all the rooms."

_Well, I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth._

Grinning, I wrap an arm around Damon's shoulder, "Aw! Thanks, you vampire bastard. Your kindness is noted and appreciated."

Rolling his pretty blue eyes at my antics, he shoves my arm from his shoulder with an exasperated sigh just as Caroline comes in with bags of food and a one of those drink holder things. She huffs as she slides her pretty blonde self through the large oak door, glaring at us when she sees we're all looking at her amusedly. "Wanna actually help instead of just watching me struggle?"

"I'm partial to watching," is Damon's quick retort, and Bons rolls her eyes and moves to help her as I try not to laugh at how badly Care is balancing the food. Jesus Christ, she could never be a waitress.

We all move over into the dining room and start spreading out the food that they picked up from the Grill. The room smells like burgers and fries, and I can't help but think about how much the smell doesn't suit the opulence of the house we're in. Suddenly, Care is in front of me with a drink in her hand, smiling brightly at me. "A Reese's milkshake, as promised."

I raise an eyebrow at her, a bit confused at first when I realize what she meant. Smiling warmly back, I bump her shoulder with mine playfully.

"Told ya so."

*

There's steps echoing through the hall as we all munch on fried food together, trading light banter and sarcasm as we eat, and Elena appears. The mood dies a little, and as much as I acknowledge that Stefan is a fun sponge, he's nowhere near as much of a buzzkill to me as Elena Gilbert.

"He's still out, Alessia. You didn't cast a sleeping spell on him, right?" She asks earnestly, rubbing the back of her neck like _she _did the hard work today.

"Nope," I say, mid-chew of my cheeseburger, "Snapped his neck. He should be fine in the next hour or so with all that human juice pumping in him."

Elena looks at me, shocked, and I'm assuming a bit angry that I hurt her boo thing, but _she could get over it. _

"You couldn't do it any other way?"

Swallowing my bite of food, I look out of the corner of my eye and see Bons clenching her fists under the table next to me. Looks like she wasn't feeling very forgiving either. "I don't owe you or Stefan any kindness right now. Be happy I didn't put him into a magic-induced coma 'till he was sober."

_Not that I would. That's a lot of effort and magic on my part._

"Alessia, please. We're sorry for what happened with Grams, but you can't put all the blame on us," she says in a certain tone that's splitting between compassionate and judgmental.

I look up into her doe eyes, and give her my warmest smile.

"_Watch me._"

Caroline chokes on her bite of fries as she tries not to laugh, and I can see a small smirk tugging on Bonnie's lips. She had ranted to me passion after everything went down at the tomb about how she wasn't going to even _speak_ to Elena for a while, and it looked like she was holding tight to that promise for now.

Elena looks pained that Bonnie isn't even acknowledging her, and moves to either say something or come sit with us, when suddenly the house _vibrates._

_Elena is a capital 'I', Idiot_.

Standing up, I give Damon a look, and I'm growing more and more happy at how easily he's starting to interpret them, because he immediately goes to check around the house. I turn to Doppelena.

"You went _in_ the cell?"

Her doe eyes are caught in the headlights and she starts to stutter, "W-well, I was just checking on him, I thought I locked it back into place, I-I-," Damon surprisingly interrupts her as he walks back into the room, ice blue eyes locked on mine.

"You spelledthe house so he can't leave?"

I start nodding, glancing around to see if said bronze vampire was somewhere behind him and he answers my question before I ask it. "He's back in, no thanks to a certain brunette."

We all glance at Elena, and she flushes brightly in embarrassment. "Sorry, everyone."

_You're going to have wayyy bigger apologies to make in the next couple months, Gilbert._

*

**_A/N: Hi everyone! I don't know if I'll get another chapter out before Christmas, but I wanted to wish you all a Happy Holidays all the same._**

**_Thanks for all the likes and comments!_**


	23. Twenty Two

**Pulchritudinous**: _def_. breathtaking, heartbreaking beauty

Chapter 22: Mother Figures Are For the Weak.

"What? Care Bear. Honey. _Sweetie_. Light of my _life_," Sighing loudly, I wrap an arm around her shoulder. "It is perfectly fine to feel bored with your relationship. If it lasts a hot minute, then you should be worried."

She buries her teary blonde head into my neck.

Poor thing. It hadn't taken long, but she seemed to have truly started getting close to Matt over the course of their now somewhat unproblematic relationship. I guess some of the angst and unrest in the original timeline pushed that relationship further than I had originally thought.

Matt's mom had come and gone as she usually did, barely worried about her daughter doing rehab in New Orleans in the middle of the school year, and obviously not scared to leave Matt at home again.

Can I get an '_ew_'? But, still not as bad as it could've been.

Thankfully, Tyler didn't get his flirt on with Matt's mom. It wasn't super high on my priority list, but they were one of the three main friendships that formed our Scooby Gang, and having part of the triangle down was always awkward. Like that one time me and Caroline were on the outs for a weekend after finding out that Mikey Richardson was two-timing us. Messy business, altogether, and gratefully avoided.

Caroline, on the other hand, was on stress overload as the functioning Miss Mystic Falls. The southern belle opulence that she was aspiring to for the parade was _not_ cheap, and her minuscule budget had her buried deep in her managerial mode even now, two days before the actual parade. And, of course, there was the small problem of her being a bit.. _bored_ with Matt Donovan. This was a rather interesting turnout, since, as Caroline and Matt's relationship was so far entrenched between the supernatural goings on before, there was a lot less unspoken tension now. Not to mention, Caroline only felt a little bad about keeping the whole 'vampires are real' thing under wraps. Albeit, mostly because Matt had a hero complex.

If he ever found out that not only do me, Care, Bons, and Elena know about all the ghoulies, but are friends with them, too? Oh, he'd lose his goddamn mind. He always felt like he was the protector of our friend group, and his hard-fought approval of Stefan would be thrown back in his face.

Altogether, terrible idea.

Caroline sniffles in my shoulder, and I feel for my blonde bestie.

Poor thing was finally kinda getting what she wanted, riding high off beating Elena for once, and she couldn't even enjoy it, because she didn't feel that spark with Matt.

By the way, super psyched about her being that in touch with her emotions and self-worth to acknowledge that she's in a relationship that makes her comfortable but doesn't genuinely feel romantic.

Huffing, Caroline pulls away slightly, eyes puffy. "I just don't _get_ it! It was super romantic when he chased me down and kissed me after the fifties dance! Why doesn't it feel like that _now_, when it matters most?"

I heave my body lazily in the direction of the Kleenex on my bedside table, grabbing said box and offering my sad chica some.

Immediately, she grabs like eight, blowing her nose in the tissue wad obnoxiously, and I have to bite my tongue hard so I don't laugh at her dramatics.

There's a soft knock on the guest room door, and Bons pokes her head in, giving Caroline a soft, compassionate smile as she notices the train wreck that has become my bed. Chocolate wrappers, Caroline's favorite stuffed duck, Paul, in the blonde's lap, and Grey's Anatomy playing on the tv is all she needs to see to get the full picture.

Bons had been a bit less reclusive over the last couple days. Getting Stefan clean, removing the baby tomb spell that I placed on him, us living there, and Elena's constant presence throughout had gotten my sister's wrath to simmer down quite a bit. Honestly, I think that it's because she just wants everything to get back to as normal as possible.

She'd already gone through similar trauma over the years, and once you see someone's healing process, you realize that it's generally the same thing over when they experience loss again. Bonnie was a tough cookie, and her strongest attributes lied in her unwavering loyalty and flexibility. Her ability to adapt was exactly how she survived the last timeline, and it made me exceedingly happy that she didn't lose that trait due to my influence.

So, out of consideration for her, I started to lessen up on Elena and Stefan. Forgiveness was fast approaching Bonnie's horizon, and to make this transition as easy for her as humanly possible, I stayed civil. Did I really want to get back on decent terms with them?

No.

I'm not a very forgiving person by nature. That's much more Bonnie's strong suit, and it made for a wonderful good cop/bad cop dynamic between us, but her patent for forgiveness was usually lost on me. So, I did my best with just using her forgiveness periods as guidelines for when to lay off. My emotionally stunted growth has never been something I've been overtly concerned about, just saw it as a baby version of whatever kind of PTSD comes with watching your loved ones die over and over again ina timeline that you don't exist in.

_Oh, well._

"Aw, what's wrong, Caroline?" Bons asked softly, moving to sit on the other side of Care soothingly. _See, this is way more of her cup of tea._ I wasn't going to be doing too great at consoling her after a couple more minutes.

Caroline turns to look at her with watery blue eyes. "I think that me and Matt.. we're just not epic, ya know? Like, there's no more passion, and it's only been like a week!"

Bonnie's brown brows furrow, "_Already_? That doesn't bode too well, Care."

Well, that was blunt.

Care's cornflower eyes re-flood with quickly falling tears, and I send a mock glare Bonnie's way. _So much for empathy being her cup of tea._ She must be having an off-day. Bon shrugs sympathetically, wrapping an arm around Caroline's shoulder before leaning into comfort the crying girl. Caroline fights another sniffle off when Damon bursts into the room, clearly about to say something before looking at the Forbes hurricane in full swing.

He immediately moves to shut the door back in place, a futile attempt to escape the emotional rollercoaster, Caroline reaches out for him. "Wait! _Damon, don't you close that door!_ I need help!"

"I'm sorry, do I look like a teenage girl?" Is Damon's snarky reply, clearly lost on how the hell he's supposed to help.

"Gimme some elderly vampire relationship advice, or something! Just come and sit."

Caroline throws an arm out to gesture towards the empty armchair, and Damon groans tiredly before bending to the will of tropical storm Caroline. He slovenly slides into the chair, clearly seeing this as a waste of his time, but I can see the good humor behind it. "K, what is it you want the Love Doctor's advice for?"

I roll my eyes at the elevated station he gave himself, waiting for Caroline's sniffle session to go back on pause, and he sends a quick wink at my tired expression. _Ugh, he's lucky he's pretty._

"Okay," Caroline says with a final sniffle as I rub my hand on her back in slow circles, "So, I _finally_ got a guy. Matt. He's super hot, and sweet, and kind, and I dunno why but I don't feel any of that _spark_, ya know? Like the universe is clearly screaming that he's perfect, but I'm not feeling that he's perfect for _me_. I'm just so confused, aren't good relationships supposed to be easier than this?"

Damon looks uninterested, but I can see his blue eyes turning the situation in his head, thinking about what he'd wanna say to one of his few friends. It was nice having Damon a part of the group, and I was currently in debate on whether I should let him in on the war council.

He didn't seem to have that friendship that was originally with Elena, probs due to my interference that stopped their impromptu road trip, and while he did look at Doppelena with a certain degree of heartache, he seemed a bit impartial to her at most. So, with the lack of Petrova obsession on that end of the stick, it made him a slightly more reliable partner when it came to protecting the few special people in this town. Much to think about there.

Damon huffs out a sigh, crossing his strong arms over his Varvatos t-shirt as he looks up at the ceiling thoughtfully for a few moments, then turning back his focused gaze on Caroline, he speaks. "My recommendation?" He starts, and I see Caroline hone in on whatever it is he's about to say. "Love is for the weak and easily manipulated. However, if there's nothing in that manipulation that makes your heart pound harder in your little human ribcage, there's really not a point to it."

There's a beat of silence before I move to lessen the blow to Care's ego.

"Well, that just savors strongly of bitterness," I reply, not really surprised by Damon's cynical take, but not fond of it either. "But, he's not necessarily wrong, Care Bear. That start up of passion in the beginning is what starts up all the huge love stories, chica."

She starts crying again, and this time turns to curl into Bonnie's open arms instead. Realizing that _that_ was Caroline's way of closing the discussion, I glance up at the elder Salvatore in question.

"So, what was the big hullabaloo you came in for?"

His eyebrows furrow, and his eyes widen to an offended scoff. "_Hullabaloo_? Jesus, Aly Cat. I know you're actually from a little nowhere town, but you need to stop with the small town quirkiness."

Bonnie takes her turn to scoff, "_Whatever_, Damon. It's not like you're from the same town."

"I'm an extremely attractive exception."

Rolling my eyes at their easy banter, something I'd noticed carried over from the original timeline to _now_ since they didn't hate each other, I glare at Damon, telling him with my eyes to get on with whatever brought him in here.

"So, fun news," Damon starts up, and when he moves to stand up, I know it's serious. "Elena's dear old mom is back in town."

Caroline chokes mid-sob, immediately removing herself from Bonnie's supportive grip to look at Damon in shock. "W-wait. Elena's _biological_ mom?"

"Well, I doubt it was her dearly departed adoptive mom, Caroline," Damon quickly parries, rolling his eyes. "Apparently, she wants to meet Elena. Which brings me to _why_ I'm telling you."

Bon's green eyes narrow thoughtfully, and I lie back on the bed, choosing to stare at the ceiling rather than fake a reaction to the predestined news. Caroline huffs dramatically, instantly shifting from her teary countenance to a cool, confident persona. I stifle a chuckle at her abrupt mood swing, but entirely regret it when she elbows my stomach in retaliation.

"Jesus, _fuck_-!" I wheeze out, clutching my now-injured midriff as I cough. I call out weakly, "It be the ones closest to you, I swear to _god_."

I can see said blonde biting back a victorious grin, and I'm about to slap her hard right on her spinal cord when Damon clears his throat, calling my attention back to the situation.

_Whoops_.

"What exactly would you like us to do about it?" I strain out, sitting up and clutching my pillow to my tender stomach, copper curls sticking up in every which direction. Earlier, I had done a brief training session outside, and it hadn't been that strenuous, but it was enough to sweat, and that's what made my curls spazz.

Besides the point. _We're getting very easily distracted lately._

"No offense, but this is sounding like a familial affair, and I'd rather not get involved in anymore Jerry Springer-esque issues. I've got more than enough to deal with from you and Stefan's eternal game of vampire 'I'm Not Touching You'."

Finishing my baby-rant, I wrap my arms around my sweat pant covered legs, starting to rock myself in a bored fashion. His mature response is to scoff at my negative attitude and push my forehead back, making my head bounce into the mattress once more. I don't bother getting up, but hear Damon's tired sigh.

"I'm _well _aware of your preferences in this town, but, thing is, _I don't care," _he starts out, slowly walking back to sit in the arm chair, the ravenette's head landing dramatically in his hand as if he's mockingly swooning like a fainting lady on a chaise longue. "I'm sending the war council to spy from the inside. Use your witchy powers to find out what she wants since _whatever _it is she wants is most likely to bite us in the ass later. Oh _god. I'm fucking **Bosley**."_

He falls back against the chair, clearly crestfallen, and Bons decides to approach the moaning vampire, putting a mocking comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, don't worry, Damon. You're much more of a _Charlie _in this scenario."

His harsh cringe at the sentiment of being so.. _background _sends a laugh throughout the room, and he rolls his pretty blue eyes at our teasing.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Move out before I eat you all as a pre-espionage snack."

*

And so, the PowerPuff Girls were back at it and currently sipping on the latest Grill milkshake concoction, the Rootbeer Rumbler, as nonchalantly a breeze as Stefan and Elena stared on. Elena looked to be growing more antsy by the minute, and Stefan looked more or less like a tired parent. Neither were psyched, per say, by our appearance, but quickly moved from apprehensive to a bit grateful to have our back up.

It was a good move to be not be as outwardly bitter towards them both, apparently.

Caroline was ecstatic to be a part of our first official mission as a war council, and very audibly made it known that she didn't want to be a human outlier. This persuasion led us to do the quickest spell possible, which wasn't doing a hearing enhancement spell on each of us as individuals, but rather, placing the spell on our _link_ instead. Of course, this meant all three of us had to really focus on Elena's table to actually be able to hear her and Isobel, but that was small potatoes.

Or, at least, it _was_ until Caroline saw Matt working the counter.

Suddenly, my ears are burdened with hearing two separate conversations, one between Stefan and Elena at a vampiric distance, and Matt taking Mrs. Lockwood's flirty order with strained politeness.

Bons reaches over to the back said focus-breaker's blonde head and smacks it. With a yelp and a glare Bonnie's way, Caroline blushes brightly at being caught, but otherwise, acts as if it never happened. I'm about to call her out on the boy toy shenanigans, when the one and only Isobel Flemming struts into the Grill.

The resemblance is definitely there, and with only a vague recollection to give me a hint, I try to remember if Kat looked like her mother, too. Funny thing to think about, if the doppelgänger's were born to parents who would most likely pop out an Amara copy. Makes me also wonder how many biological fusions could end up with something similar to the doppelgänger's face.

There's at least one person who looks like her besides Katherine with those odds.

Oh my god, what if Klaus accidentally slurped that one down like a milkshake, thinking she was it but no dice.

That'd be fucking hilarious.

There's a sudden spike of pain from my shin as Care Bear not so gently regained my attention. I try to fight off the glare of annoyance that it was her, the hypocrite, snapping me back into the game, but shrug it off when I realize that she didn't do it when Doppelena's mom was here. Slowly, I can feel the magical hum of our focus latching our hearing to the table, and I cross my ankles, waiting for Elena's hopes of having a decent mom to get violently dashed by the humanity-off egg donor.

Not that I didn't feel for Elena. Me and Bons had a pretty shit egg donor as well, so I knew what that type of toxic rejection felt like, and it sucked. I just also knew she'd only have to deal with this for a few days, as opposed to how long our mother would be around in a couple months.

_Not looking forward to that._

Isobel tosses her things into the opposite chair from Elena, hardly paying attention to the girl as she sits before smiling at her diplomatically. Yeah, no, that chick has no emotion. "Hello, Elena," she drones, and for the first time in a while, I can't see the secrets she's hiding.

Like, I know they're there, but it's weird to not be able to tell what someone else's motivations are.

_Oh god, is that how everyone **else** feels all the time?!_

I could never.

Anyway, Doppelena is stunned, and with good reason. I'm sure she was expecting a much warmer welcome from her birth-mother, but unfortunately, the girl wouldn't have much luck on that front.

"You look just like her. It's eerie," her egg donor sighs, and I see the flash of alarm in Elena's doe eyes.

"You _met_ Katherine?"

"She found me after I turned. Genetic curiosity, I suppose. She would be fascinated by you."

'_Genetic curiosity', my ass. You got Katherine'd._

I can hear Isobel's jingle of her playing with her daylight necklace, and Elena immediately takes note. "Is that how you can walk in the day?"

_Duh_.

"Katherine helped me obtain it."

Elena grows quickly irritated with all the KitKat talk, and quickly moves on to a more pertinent subject. "Who's my father?"

Isobel immediately gets defensive, tone becoming slightly more clipped as she replies, "Not important. He was a teenage waste of space." _Sounds like John Gilbert._

Elena doesn't let up. "A name would be nice."

Isobel coolly retorts, "It would, wouldn't it? You ask a lot of questions."

Yeah, it's almost like her biological mother appeared out of nowhere as a vampire. Totes wouldn't have any questions.

"Why did you compel that man to kill himself right after he told me to stop looking for you?" Elena asks, and quite frankly, I'd forgotten that Damon told me about that. My overall apathy towards that is clearly an indication that I need a therapist, but, _oh well._

"Dramatic impact," is Isobel's emotionless response, and it doesn't take a genius to know that she's lying. "Wish it had been more effective."

_No, you don't._

"Human life means that little to you?" I can hear Elena's apprehension and disgust growing.

"Means _nothing_ to me. It's just part of being what I am."

Ew. Just _ew_.

If you're going to be a heartless monster, _own_ it. Her blaming the existence that she chose, all to alleviate herself of responsibility from what she's done, is just grody to me. At least Damon, Katherine, and Klaus owned up to the fact that their actions as vampires were all their own choices, it made them more endearing. A factor that Isobel Flemming was severely lacking.

"No," Elena ardently denies, "it's not. I know other vampires, that's not true."

"You mean your boyfriend over there by the pool table? Stefan Salvatore. Why Stefan? Why didn't you go for Damon? Or do you enjoy them _both_? Like Katherine did."

She was really pushing Elena's buttons with the Kat talk, and this is clearly pushing the envelope. Elena's now all business, leaning forward with her arms crossed and brown eyes narrowed. "Why did you want to meet me? It can't be to catch up."

My eyes glance up, and I link curious, wary eyes with Bonnie. I still wasn't 100% sure what their game plan was here. The tomb vamps were taken care of, so what the hell did Katherine want?

"Because, I'm curious about you," Isobel dryly remarks, and I once again think about how obvious it is when a vamp has their emotions off. "But the real reason is, I represent a party who wants to talk to the two little _Bennett_ witches listening in."

Blinking my eyes wide, Caroline chokes on her milkshake and Bonnie stiffens.

_Oh shit. Did **not** see that coming._

*

**A/n: Hello everyone and welcome back! I hope you had a merry holiday season, and that you enjoy this new chapter! Happy New Year!**

*


	24. Twenty Three

**Alexithymia: **_def. _the inability to properly express feelings

Chapter 23: Wow, Genuine Surprise is New.

Bons bright green eyes flash alarmingly at me, but I'm _stuck. _

What the hell did I do wrong? _Did I put Bonnie in danger just by existing??_

My caramel eyes steel up, instead of offering reassurance to Bons, I turn to look Isobel in her cold blue eyes. _Welp, best way through is forward, if I make a mistake, I can fix it as I go._ I stand from my seat coolly, walking across the Grill with what I hope is a certain level of grace that demands respect. Isobel smiles insincerely at me as I move to sit next to them both, and I can see the stunned confusion all over Elena's face.

"How can I be of service, _Flemming?_ Speak quick and _maybe_ I'll listen to what your employer has to offer."

There's no flash of emotion, just a continual wave of placid ease on her face as she scrunches her Elena-esque brows at me. "How _interesting. _But, I'm no soft touch, either. I _did _come here to see my daughter, but I'll be talking to you both privately when the time comes. Don't worry, _I'll_ find _you_. Ta ta!"

And with that, the whirlwind exits the scene, leaving me and the rest of the Scooby gang speechless.

_Oh shit, oh SHIT, OH SHIT._

Damon and Alaric come inside as quickly as Isobel leaves and immediately stride over to us. I'm barely registering them speaking with Stefan and Elena, my eyes glued to the wooden table, stomach tying itself in knots. There were so many things that could've gone wrong just by having me born. Was it Katherine who wanted to meet us? If so, why didn't Isobel flaunt it to hurt Elena? Was a fucking _Original_ going to be showing up ahead of schedule? I don't even have a White Oak stake, let alone the moonstone. I've been so fucking lazy.

And now I'm paying for it.

Blinking rapidly at vaguely hearing my name called, my eyes look up sharply to see a pair of forest green looking back at me, concerned. _Ugh, great. He thinks I'm scared of Isobel. _I'm not scared of Isobel.

_I'm scared of who could be with her._

I nod at the unasked question as to my mental state, brain moving fast to keep up with how fast the situation has changed. If things got risky, would I be able to kill whoever this was? Or would it be smarter to stay ignorant, make myself more trustworthy? Oh god, I might throw up.

There's a new warmth on my shoulder, and I glance up to see Stefan, looking down at me with even more concern. _Stupid boy, I said I was fine. _Maybe I didn't nod firmly enough._ Whatever._ I'm desperate for something to ground me here, otherwise I'm gonna go full-on panic attack in this public restaurant, so I squeeze the wooden bottom of my chair with one hand, my other hand reaching up for Stefan's and squeezing it tight.

As much as I'm not as big of a fan of his anymore, the gesture is noted and appreciated. His green eyes look worried about my intense grip, but I am having a hard time trying to control my breathing, so I brush it off like I don't see it.

Wait.

_Bonnie._

Whipping around quick enough to make Stefan stiffen slightly, I look back at my sister still at the other table, and see she's in a very similar state with Elena and Caroline rubbing her shoulders. Wide olive eyes, staring down at the table, hands clenched to where they look white. Suddenly, that olive gaze snaps on me, and I get a little soft at how much worry I see there. _She's a lot like me in some ways. Or maybe it's the other way around. _

I can see her asking me with her eyes, "what the _hell _are we gonna do??"

_I have no fucking idea._

Ugh. Thinking on the fly is a lot more difficult than having a nearly omniscient presence.

I do a deep inhale through my nose, releasing Stefan's hand and placing both appendages in a steeple before placing my forehead on it, looking as if I'm a repentant sinner. And maybe I am. I feel a large warm hand slowly appear on my shoulder, clutching me firmly and comfortingly. Glancing up, I am greeted with a very understanding, if not pained, looking history teacher.

"Guys. Here is not the time or place to discuss this. Let's regroup at the boardinghouse, we can talk about everything there.. We can figure out our game plan," Ric firmly says after glancing down worriedly at both me and Bonnie. The break would be appreciated, honestly. I had a lot to think about, and no matter what I did at this point, it would most likely greatly affect my timeline's ending.

_If I fucking knew who it was, we'd be counting our lucky stars. _

Blinking momentarily, seeing everyone slowly get up and start grabbing their belongings, and quickly move to catch up.

_What 'lucky stars'? _

_I'm a Bennett._

_*_

And so, the Scooby Gang evacuated the premises as discreetly as possible. Since our group was ever-expanding, Caroline took it upon herself to manage the seating situation. Only Damon and Ric has taken their cars, Stefan and Elena has just walked over there after hanging out at the Gilbert house for a bit, so there were seven people to two cars.

Quickly adjusting to her executive branch status with a roll of her slim shoulders, my favorite blonde quickly turns to all of us. "Okay, so, me, Aless, and Damon'll take his car and the rest can hop in with Ric."

_Brilliant woman. I could marry her. _

Caroline had been exposed to me and Bons for a _long _time, specifically our sisterhood and how it functioned, and she knew that the two of us _absolutely could not_ be left together in a panicked state. When Bonnie hears bad news, she immediately gets anxious and suspicious of _everything _and has a habit of ranting. I, on the other hand, get real quiet, and I need quiet to think through everything.

Basically, me and Bons couldn't be around each other for the next few minutes, otherwise we'd fight. Not necessarily an _important _fight, but it's better just not have to deal with two usually levelheaded Bennetts at odds with each other and anxious.

Sliding into Damon's nice leather backseat, my hands immediately return to their steepled position, my lips gently pressed against them while I lean against them pensively. Since we are all the way over by the Grill, it'll be about ten minutes till we get back to Dracula's clubhouse. Ten minutes to decide on something that has the potential to destroy everything I've planned over the last _seventeen _years.

Perfect. Love that for me.

Caroline and Damon both slide into their respective seats, quickly glancing back at me, and if the vampire's stiff jaw was any indication, Damon was experiencing similar emotions. It made sense. This had to be a delicate situation for him.

Not only was his ex-lover the mysterious heart of whatever was going on, he had no idea what she intended to do. Jesus, so many variables, my brain is gonna fucking _split, _and I know that my brain is retreating into its emergency autopilot system.

Whenever I panic, my body tends to go on autopilot for a little bit so my brain can figure out what we're gonna do next. The last time I'd used it, however, was back when I was ten and desperately trying to fix Gram's crystal ball that she'd gotten as a gift from our grandpa at her first college exposé on the occult. She was supposed to come home in two hours, and to this _day _I can't tell you really what I did for those two hours, just that the crystal ball was fixed after.

That's what I'd do. I'd just crystal ball it.

The background noise of the car and Damon and Caroline's talking slowly drowns out, and as I do another strong inhale I close my eyes slowly, attempting to relax. When I open my eyes, I can't stop the gasp that leaves my mouth.

All I see is me.

And by that, I mean my reflection.

I find myself in a room of mirrors, a soft coo in the back of my subconscious letting me know that what I'm seeing is not entirely real. Blinking widely, I see the me in front of me slowly _change._ Her copper colored curls lengthen and darken, returning to its natural, oak brown shade. _Mental note, I look hot natural. Maybe I could dye it back?_

Slowly, her outfit also fades from matching mine, to becoming eerily familiar.

_That girl from the sketch._

She blinks back at me, and I realize that her body is no longer following my body's natural sway. Glaring up at my reflection, her eyes seem to brighten as she notices that I realize she's moving independently.

"Who the fuck are _you?" _I whisper, and she smiles warmly at me.

"My name is Loretta, but you can call me Lettie if you'd like."

Identical caramel eyes are locked on mine intensely, clearly doing the same thing as me and watching for any sign of a threat from me. This is all too fucking weird. I thought I was just a stupid doppelgänger, what the hell is with the mind visit from my clone?

_Elena didn't have to deal with this. _

Yeah, but she's not a witch.

_True._

Her long dark curls bounce slightly as Lettie starts to shake, and I panic for a moment, thinking she's going to make a move, but instead her head rolls back with raucous laughter. I blink once, then twice, but no cigar, I still have no idea what the hell is so funny.

"_What kind of hairstyle is that??"_ She snorts, holding her stomach in the mirror as she guffaws at me. "You look as if you tied a rope to your ankle and just let the carriage drag you till your hair got frizzy!"

_Frizzy?? Bitch._

Reaching up to subconsciously pat my copper 'frizz', I glare at my mocking, modest-1800s copy. "Ugh, _whatever. _I look like a clown and you look like something our Founders' Parade coughed up. Now that we're on the same page, let's talk business. Why do we look like a cheap Parent Trap remake?"

A thick brow arches at me, and I fight off the shivers that come with it. It's still creepy that my reflection is moving, and that it's _her._

She looks at me out of the corner of her caramel eyes, calling on what I assume are well-bred manners as her eyes flash steel, hands folding primly over her dress.

"It's not just us _two_ in here, Alessia," she sighs, appearing a bit bored that she has to explain everything to me at this moment. "But, it's my turn to introduce you. Not right now, though. It's much too soon. But you did call, so I assumed it was an emergency—."

"'_Called?'" _I question boldly.

"Yes," she smiles, "You could call this our _secret place._ You have us all at your disposal."

"'_Have us all'?"_ I ask once again, and I briefly get annoyed that all of this urgent questioning is making me sound like a fucking parrot.

I can tell that my double is also getting vaguely annoyed that she has to answer my rapid fire questions. But, instead of snarking at me, her eyes turn warm and soft, entirely welcoming as she opens her arms in the mirror.

Her voice distorts as she speaks, quickly moving from sounding as if it were just her speaking to sounding as if a coliseum spoke in tandem with her.

"HAVE US_ ALL."_

The voices calling out are _haunting_, and I feel an involuntary chill run up my spine at the vibrations from their one call.

"_HAVE US **ALL**."_

Many honey eyes look at me from the other mirrors, each a different copy of me, and I feel the room start to shake at the pressure of their voices in my brain. So _loud._

"_**HAVE US ALL.**"_

Then, all I hear is my own screaming.

*

I'm being shaken roughly, shoulders grabbed tightly in someone's large hands, and my eyes rapidly blink to try and keep up with the change of scenery. Really, it was like a blink, and then _boom!_ Regular world for Alessia. My eyes finally snap to the pair on my assailant, and I see pretty blue eyes intense with worry.

_Damon._

Air is not coming naturally to me for some reason. I'm suddenly coughing and hacking into Damon's nice John Varvatos shirt, and barely feeling bad about it. I felt like boiled Death, and honestly, trying to inhale through my nose was hard enough without having to worry about Damon's expensive clothing.

He clutches me tightly in his arms, one hand tangled in my curly hair that he's trying to soothe down, the other patting my back as I continue to cough. "Jesus, Aly Cat. _Breathe _much?" He asks jokingly, but I can tell by how hard he squeezes me to him, whatever happened while I was in Mirrorland had freaked him out _significantly._

Gasping for breathe as my stomach starts to cramp at the consistent hacking, my eyes are watery when I blink up at Damon. "Damon? W-what?—!"

I'm cut off by another round of annoying coughs, but Damon catches what I'm trying to ask.

"One thing at a time, gorgeous. Everyone is _fine, _you were just out for a couple hours_. _They're all sleeping now, so if you'd like to stop coughing..."

That gives me some ease, and I start to relax as Damon continues to run his fingers through my hair. After a few moments of him coddling me, I blink as I start rapidly looking around to see where the fuck I am.

_Oh, back in my room at the boardinghouse._

Damon pulls away from me as my wheezing turns to slow, even breaths, his smile playful, but his eyes hold a bit of anger. He moves to sit on a small chair that has obviously been taken out of the dining room and brought in here for guard duty. It's a bit funny how that man never lets you directly see how he's feeling, but the hint is always in the eyes.

Damon's pretty blues are the most expressive thing on his face, and that says a lot when you're as pretty as he is. They're almost always were cold, analytical, and wild. He'll always let a grin hang off his strong jaw to throw off people, make them think he's being easy-going or flirtatious when he's actually being _threatening. _Maybe it was all part of the enticement factor of the vampire bad-boy. You never know what he'll do next.

Crossing his long, jean-clad legs, Damon folds his arms, pursing his lips before turning that gaze back on me. "You passed out in the car, Aly Cat. After screaming bloody murder on the middle of the highway, very suddenly, might I add."

Desperate to regain some of the cool I have clearly lost in this situation, I'm very much embarrassed. I blink owlishly at the handsome vampire before curling in on myself and holding my knees to my chest comfortingly. I give Damon a small charming smile as I tuck my head over my knees as I wipe the tears from earlier off my cheeks.

"Don't tell me that I _scared _ya, D? Little old me could never scare a big, bad vampire."

My attempt at a nonchalant attitude very obviously backfired when Damon's reprimanding gaze turns to a white hot glare instead of the smile I was hoping for.

"_Alessia._" He growls out, and I can audibly hear the barely concealed anger. "I didn't know if you were dying or not. I nearly swerved me and Barbie into an oncoming truck because of _that_."

Glancing down, now a bit more ashamed that Damon was so clearly worried about me and I tried making a joke about it. "Sorry, Damon. It wasn't intentional, I promise."

"See," he sighs out, shaking his black messy hair incredulously, "I don't think that's gonna cut it for me. You reminded me of a _horrible_ thing just now, Aly Cat. I think you owe me."

Damon suddenly stands, pushing the chair back, and I blink up at his angry form. Tense broad shoulders, furrowed brow, bright _livid _blue eyes, and I can't help but wonder what kind of day I reminded him of to make him this incensed.

He moves forward with purpose, and when he's standing in front of me, all aggressive and attractive, my bunched up knees graze his abdomen. The elder Salvatore's gaze lights something in my stomach on fire, and I feel goosebumps raise on my arms as he looks down at me.

_Jesus Christ, that's like brushing up against fucking **marble**._

I don't say anything, because I don't feel like I _can _under those intense baby blues. _How does any girl ever breathe around this guy?_

I couldn't look away if I tried. Damon's large hands move, vaguely startling me as they move to my arms, gently caressing from my shoulder down my arms before grabbing my wrists that were haphazardly locked around my legs. It's a very big contrast from how angry he looks, almost as if he's forcing himself to be gentle with me. He brings my hands away from my body, making me place my legs slowly back on the ground without the added assistance of my arm strength to hold them up.

"Oh, _Aly Cat,"_ Damon purrs, releasing one of my hands but holding the other, slowly raising it up to his nose before smelling it possessively. My tummy starts filling with butterflies as I feel his cool breath against my palm. _Oh my God, oh my god, oh my goddd. _My heart is _pounding, _and I honestly can't remember a time I was this nervous.

_Is this okay now? _My brain runs through all of my self consciousness and doubt. He's not with Katherine anymore, and he doesn't _really _like Elena just yet. He's supernatural, so that checks _that _box. Obviously, he's _beautiful, _more beautiful than I'll probably be able to top in my life time. Maybe.

_Maybe, we could test it? See if we actually like him or just like blue eyes? _My brain supplies, and oddly enough, I feel a hint of _Lettie_ behind it.

_Odd, but we're horny and stressed so who cares._

Damon's eyes are still locked on mine, and I can tell that he's waiting for something, for me to make a move to let him know that I want it, too.

So, I do.

I sit up on my knees, and slowly curl my fingers in the dark hair curling softly at the nape of his neck. His blue eyes have shifted to black, pupils wide and hungry as he scans my face for any sign of hesitation.

_Ugh, quit **waiting**! You're supposed to be a bad boy, goddammit._

Glaring softly at his doubt, I make the final move. Leaning up, I softly kiss his lips, brushing them quickly as if I had never kissed them at all. There's a familiar shot of electricity down my spine and into my lower belly, slowly stoking a fire in me, and a soft gasp leaves my mouth.

That gasp must've been the final straw for Damon, because his lips slam into mine the very next moment. Soft lips engulf mine roughly, animalistically, clearly trying to dominate me, and I _love _it. My own kisses rise in intensity at the challenge, and when I feel him nibble hard on my lip and clutch my waist tightly, I can't stop the satisfied moan that leaves me.

When it comes to sex, high school has been an interesting beast to tame. I definitely wasn't a virgin, (thank you, Olivia Tribech, you were a doll), and back last year me and Ty slept together a couple times in a drunken haze, so I was pretty aware of what I liked. Rough kisses, pretty people, and I am not the dominant party most of the time. Occasionally, for some variety, but otherwise I'm a happy girl if I'm sore in the morning. And judging by how hard Damon's hand tugged back on my hair to get my mouth to open for his tongue to slide in, I was going to be a very happy girl in the morning.

Damon's tongue is domineering, and he tastes like alcohol and bad decisions. _Yes, _I know someone can't actually _taste _like a bad decision, but there was something so inherently _wicked _about how he kissed that it made me feel as if I was already sinning when we hadn't crossed that line yet. It all just feels so _good, _and I don't want to stop. Ever.

Damon shoves me back further onto the bed, making me land on my back with a huff before he immediately hovers over me. His large hands frame my hips, until one of them moves up and brushes a curl out of my face, hovering over my cheek as he eyes my face. I can guess what I look like: runny mascara from sleep, heated cheeks, bruised pouty lips, and messy hair, but he looks at me like I'm the prettiest bird in the forest.

"So _pretty, _Aly_..." _he mutters lowly, not really talking to me, but his words make my heart race.

"_Damon,"_ I moan out, wanting him to just _touch _me more.

His lips quirk into that smug grin momentarily, then his lips move to mine. They kiss me passionately for a moment, effectively making me lightheaded, then his perfect lips move down _further_, starting to move towards my neck.

Soft, open-mouthed kisses roll down my throat, and I moan at the sensation of his tongue against my sensitive skin. His movements get more aggressive at the sound, teeth mixing in his ministrations and I yelp when he bites _hard._

I can feel that it's not deep, a small, slow stream of blood descending down the column of my throat. Damon moans, and it's the _hottest fucking thing I've ever heard in my life._ I want it on replay when I die. Let them blast it in a stadium because this shit is my new anthem. Or, at least it _was, _until I hear Damon moan a name as he licks the wound.

"_Lettie._"

_Well, wait just a goddamn minute-_

Immediately, I use my magic to push him off of me. Unfortunately for him, in my hubris and heightened emotional state from what we've just done, my magic is a little twitchy and it holds him hard up against the opposing wall. His blue eyes are wide with shock, but so are mine when I sit up and ask, "How the fuck do you know _Lettie?"_

By the pained look on his face, I know I'm not gonna like the answer.

_Can I just **not **have to deal with one doppelgänger? This copycat is killing my lady boner._

*

**_A/n: Hi, all! Sorry for the late update, but with recent developments that started this year, I'm sure you can guess why I'd be distracted. I'm happy you all enjoyed the twist though! I hope you like this chapter since it got a little spicy. Thanks for the wonderful comments, can't wait to read more, and I hope you're all well. Love you, guys!_**

**_*_**  



	25. Twenty Four

**Mordant: **_def. _biting or sarcastic in thought or manner

Chapter 24: Info Dumps Consequently Lead To Headaches.

"I won't repeat myself again, D," I bite out harshly, very irritated that the one mystery I have been avoiding refused to let me have any fun. _Yes, _I was well aware that not having all of the information together was dangerous, to say the least, but I _really _didn't want to have to deal with my personal timeline.

Me not existing in the original timeline was something that had been pretty terrifying at first, and it could still get me riled up sometimes. Knowing how everyone would function without you there, seeing first hand the pain your loved ones experience because no one's there to comfort them.. it makes a person a bit nihilistic after a while.

I mean, what's your existence really _worth _if you aren't in that timeline? Sure, things were going pretty swimmingly trying to rig the game for my team, outside of the recent jump scares, but someday my somewhat omniscient knowledge would be useless and this _exact _mystery was a direct threat to that. A lack of answers, a lack of _knowledge._

Who was Lettie to me? A relative? If so, why isn't she in the original timeline? Was she expendable, too?

Jesus Christ, what was the point of knowing all of this if I was only going to be armed with just enough information to get me in trouble? Or worse, dead?

_Hush, girl. _My brain chides in a voice that I recall vaguely.

Lovely. Now, I'm _actually _losing my mind.

_You're losing **focus**, Alessia. Ask Damon what you need to know. All will become clear._

Welp. If I'm going absolutely deranged, at least the prim voice in my brain gives good advice.

Damon struggles against my magic, calling my attention back to the fact that not only had I made out with the Salvatore, I was also holding him against his will. Quickly dropping him, he straightens his wrinkled shirt roughly as he death glares at me.

"Sorry, D," I shrug sheepishly before remembering why I was mad in the first place. "_Wait. _No, I'm not. You and Stefan lied to me! Get your brother up here this _instant _before I hex the house pink or something!"

Stefan appears with a gust of wind in front of my now open bedroom door. His dirty blond locks are sticking every which way adorably, like a hedgehog, a pair of sleeping pants hanging low on his hips with no shirt, and his green eyes are hazy, clearly still in a daze from sleep. He stumbles slightly to the left before coming to a stop, and I have to clap my hand over my mouth so I don't burst out laughing at the adorable display of sleepiness.

Running a large tired hand through his locks, along with a deep inhale, he looks around wildly, clearly looking for a fight. "Alessia? Damon? Where's the stranger—, I mean danger, I—," he stops his sleepy drawl seeing me and Damon staring at him from opposite ends of the room.

I desperately cling to the growing irritation at my own existence so I don't laugh. Sleepy Stefan is a very wholesome Stefan. His green eyes slowly clear up as he takes in the obvious tension in the room, glancing briefly at me before glaring at Damon. This gives the elder Salvatore justification to roll his eyes, before gesturing towards me.

"You keep those _judge-y _little peepers to yourself, Fabio. This is _all _Glinda. Actually, since you're here, why don't you answer her question?"

Stefan's green eyes falter in their strength, confusion clearly setting in when he turns to me in question with a thick brow raised. "_Question_? It's like one in the morning, Alessia, can't it wait?"

A quick stern shake of my head is my immediate, mature response. There was no way they were dodging my questions that easily now. Since everyone's problems have been keeping me up since forever, they can deal with my problems at an inopportune moment for once.

"No way, Stefan. You guys have been hinting at this shit since I met you, and now we're gonna deal with it before I get any other 'powers that be' chasing after me and my sister," Pausing briefly, I put a finger up to my chin thoughtfully. That didn't come out quite like I wanted. "Or.. just any other surprise problems that like to find our crew. Anyway, whatever, moot point. Who the hell is Lettie and why do we all know her?"

Stefan's green eyes grow cartoonishly wide, and I can't help but wonder if Elena saw a similar reaction when he told her about Katherine. He looks like he would rather be anywhere else besides right here in front of me. "Uh...," he stutters, clearly stuck and almost laugh at how awkward he is.

Almost.

Damon is clearly enjoying watching his brother sweat alongside him, a small grin tugging his lips in amusement. But, he must've gotten bored a split second later, because now he's sighing dramatically.

"_Ugh_, fine. Come on, Stefan, let's go tell _Aly_ who _Lettie_ is. I'm sure you remember where the photo is, so let's move this party downstairs."

Well, that's foreboding emphasis if I've ever seen it. Hopefully, I've learned from Elena's mistakes and whatever news the Salvatores have to offer on my photocopy will leave me relatively unbothered.

But judging by the ever moreso broody look on Stefan's handsome face, I didn't believe that it would.

*

And so, the pair of brothers sat on either side of me on the couch, all three of us holding tumblers full of whatever is in their decanters. Seriously, there's a lot of them and you can't really tell what expensive, old liquor is gonna rock your shit when there's no labels.

Taking a baby sip, I quickly learn that I'm drinking some kind of very strong whiskey. My lips purse at the awful taste and I feel a rumbling from my left. Glancing up at Stefan Salvatore unamused, I proceed to watch him for a couple seconds as he tries not to chuckle.

"Got something to say, _Stefan?"_

You can see how hard he's trying not to laugh in my face. I don't know what expression I made from that strong liquor, but it must've been hilarious for Stefan to be unable to keep it together. Damon's left arm moves from its position laying along the back of the couch, smacking the back of Stefan's chuckling head once. Annoyed green eyes snap to their blue brother's as he rubs the back of his head.

"Later, Giggles," Damon drawls, sipping some of his drink without _any _reaction, the badass, "Grab those diaries of yours. And as for _you_, Aly, time for an info dump."

Raising my hand, I stall Damon's story-telling momentarily as Stefan reaches onto the table to grab the stack of books from when we all originally came downstairs.

"Pause," I quickly state. Clinging to an iron will, and knowing it'll make the next couple hours go by a little easier, I down the rest of the strong drink. Instead of letting Stefan get seconds of my goofy expression, I cover my face and rub my forehead softly. A little mental prep never hurt anyone.

Nodding, I glance between the pair, and the two brothers make eye contact, clearly non-verbally offering the other to go first. Or at least this is what I guess from the eyebrows raised in challenge at each other. I swear, they might not look related, but if you hang out with them both for ten minutes, it becomes obvious what the relation is.

Sighing, it's clear that Stefan is the lucky loser who gets to tell me. I turn to face him, and his eyes are soft on mine. "Alessia, before we dive into this, you need background information on who she is_, _how we knew her, and _when _we knew her," he pauses, taking a quiet breath as he hands me her picture upside down, I turn it over and look at myself as he continues to speak. "Her name is Loretta Bennett, and she was Emily Bennett's sister.. In 1864."

There's a beat of silence after, the tension in the room thick enough to cut through, and I can't seem to figure out what I'm forgetting to do here. Like, it's important, and I have to do it often...

_Oh SHIT, act surprised at my- I mean **our** face!_

My eyes flutter quickly in an attempt to make it look like my pause was just from shock, glancing quickly between the two brothers in a way that I hope says 'I'm not quite hysterical yet, but I'm freakin' out'. Stefan's expression is unreadable, his jaw pulled tight, and eyes focused on me. In fact, his stare is so _warm_ on me that I feel my heart stutter at how intense it is. Like he was very much not looking forward to discussing the rest with my being there.

I quickly turn back to look at Stefan, only to see him looking down at the hardwood floor tensely. Clearly, this wasn't a fun subject for either to discuss. Trying to move the conversation along, I quickly snatch the picture from Stefan's hands, closely analyzing my double.

"What.. the fuck, guys?" I ask quietly, moving both my hands behind their heads and smacking as hard as I can. It clearly didn't hurt them like I wanted it to, but it got my feelings across.

"You _idiots! _Did you learn absolutely zilch from not telling Elena about Katherine for so long?? You guys are lucky I'm so awesome, otherwise I'd give you the silent treatment."

Stefan and Damon both blink at me owlishly, confused at my response like they expected me to behead them. I wouldn't do that.

At least not until they tell me what I need to know.

Then, we'll see how I feel.

"Okay, why does she look like me? And talk fast," I say, standing from the couch in a huff to look down at the pair. Crossing my arms, I wait for Stefan to continue, but he doesn't. I glance over at Damon. "_Talk _to me. I told you both, I'll hex the shit out of this house, I don't even care."

He groans, the vampire clearly not wanting to, but my firm glare prods him to mosey on.

"Look, Lettie Bennett was someone me and Stefan met wayyy before Katherine, like two or three years prior. She was a widow at the tender age of 18, lost her husband to a fever, and lived alone in this creepy house on the outskirts of town. Or, at least that's what she had convinced everyone else in Mystic Falls.

"She was tempestuous, loyal, and a self-proclaimed protector for the town. Obviously, she's a Bennett, so she could do the whole magic shebang. Needless to say, witches were kind of frowned upon in my time so she kept her supernatural status hidden. Long story short, Lettie disappeared. She had been going nearly out of her mind with the idea that something horrible was going to happen."

Pausing, Damon takes another swig from his tumbler, pursing his lips at the taste as a flash of grief shined in his blue eyes. "She had a knack for being right the majority of the time, and to no one's surprise, she was right again that time. Katherine showed up a month later, and Lettie's body was found in the woods a month after that."

I breathe a sigh of relief at her confirmed death, but when thinking over his words, something doesn't fit right. Confused, I arch an eyebrow at him as I feel my stomach start to warm from the alcohol. "_Wait_. You didn't say _how_ you both knew her?"

Biting his lip, Damon downs the rest of his drink, turns away from me, and turns to the fire instead. _Jerk. _I turn to get Stefan to answer me, but I can visibly see the awkward tension in his shoulders as he stares firmly at the floor. Rolling my eyes at their childishness, I huff and glance down to space out on my lap for a few moments.

What could they not want to tell me about how they know Lettie?

Really, this is all so immature. I'm not Elena, I won't freak out. The only thing they could be nervous about would be me getting angry at whatever they say, and there's not much that could make me angry on that front. I mean, unless they— oh... _No. No fucking way._

Straightening up in a flash of anger, I glare down at the two brothers and see them audibly sigh at my currently fuming form.

"You absolute_ idiots _fell for the same girl_ **TWICE**?!!"_

Damon shrugs at me nonchalantly, and Stefan's head dangles between his legs. Oh my god, they're absolute morons. I'm working with people with no brain function, complete _fucking _vegetables. _Oh god, I almost slept with one._ Pinching my nose with one hand, I groan loudly.

"Okay. You know what? This is _fine_. Everything's fucking _fine._ I just have to deal with it, it's whatever," running my hands through my hair in a stressed motion, I play with the dead ends as I mutter my disbelief. Glaring up at Damon, who'd already been looking at me, I ask bluntly "How the hell did _that _start?"

Sighing, Damon swirls his glass before looking back towards the fireplace. "Lettie," he starts, and I can hear the fondness in the nickname, "was a spunky little firecracker witch who happened to be related to Emily. I met her in 1863 when I was home for leave for the first time. She had been reading on a tree branch as I was coming back home, clumsy little thing ended up falling when it broke. Ran over to see if she died, found out she was hot, and promptly introduced myself. Fell for her in a week, she was my first _biggie_, but then my time was up. She said she'd write me letters, and she did, up until about two months before she died. I never got to say goodbye to her."

There's a long pause, one of grief and disbelief. His first love looked like _me?_ That's a crazy concept to think about.

Stefan moves to stand after abruptly downing his drink, quickly reaching for a refill from the decanter on the table behind my calves. Sighing as he takes another sip, he glances up at me with sad green eyes.

"I met Loretta when I was fifteen years old. Damon was off fighting for the Confederacy in the Civil War, and I had just started making new friends my age. It was a hot summer, and I had been playing in a watering hole with my friends when a rock slipped under my foot and I fell unconscious. I woke up on the grass hacking water with this young, pretty girl above me pressing against my chest like it was a stress ball. My other friends had gotten so scared when I was hurt that instead of trying to help me, they went to go get an adult."

A small nostalgic smile appears on his face as he glances down at the hardwood. "Loretta said that the second I hit the water, she didn't hesitate at all to dive in after me. But that's the kind of person she was. We became close friends soon after, which had me sneaking out of the house to come and see her garden, her finally telling me about her magic, and eventually, I fell for her. Loretta Bennett was my first big love, and one of my best friends as a kid.

"She was loyal, fierce, and one of the most brutally honest people I've ever met. But, Alessia, there's something you should know."

Frowning at his not-so-positive tone, I furrow my brows at him, getting more concerned at what it could be by the second. Crossing my arms, I pin Stefan down with my stare. "Could you _please _hurry up and tell me what I need to know? Preferably before I hit both of you again for dragging this out so long?"

Rolling his eyes at me in a rare spark of Stefan Sass, he looks at me pointedly before saying, "I'm not sure I think you're a doppelgänger. Katherine and Elena are _very _different people. You and Lettie on the other hand.."

Damon cuts him off as I feel my pulse start to race at the obvious answer. "You are a carbon _copy _of Lettie. Weird little mannerisms and all."

_Oh my god, my previous lives.. I'm a fucking idiot. _

I had assumed for absolutely no good reason that my other past lives had been in different universes or timelines, and that's why I had prior knowledge on what happened to the other timeline. I hadn't even started to think of if I had lived my lives all on _this_ version of the world.

_Yes, you are, _I hear a very posh, nineteenth-century accent say in my head. _All will be clear soon.._

Absolutely nothing is fucking clear right now, and _that's _all I care about.

I take a seat back on the couch with a groan, elbows on my knees and head in my hands. It'd been my fault for assuming in the first place. If Lettie is really just me from back then, then why can't I remember what she did or who she was?

Maybe there was a key to unlocking my past life's memories. _Who knew?_ There were so many questions and not nearly enough answers. Doing a deep inhale through my nose, I jump slightly when I feel a large, cool hand on my shoulder.

Glancing to my left, I see Stefan looking down at me sympathetically, and even though Damon's trying to hide it by giving me major side eye, I can see a bit of concern in those pretty blue eyes.

Sighing dramatically, I decide to save my meltdown for later when it's not two in the morning. "Why do you two have so much _drama? _I'm the teenage girl here, Jesus Christ. Respect my position."

Damon rolls his eyes, "Oh, _shut up, _Aly Cat. You're the weirdest teenage girl _ever_, you can't apply for the normal girl positions."

Turning my head to the side, I stick my tongue out at Damon before giving him a quick glare. I needed to make it clear that he wasn't off the hook for trying to use me as my own reincarnated rebound.

_That's going to get confusing._

Ugh, my life is so hard. Yawning, I stretch slightly and realize just how draining this news has been. I'm _exhausted. _Stefan moves to speak, but I hold my hand up, non-verbally asking him to pause momentarily.

"I'm all gossiped out. Very sleepy. I think we should finish talking about this with everyone tomorrow."

Stefan nods in the affirmative, moving to collect the books. On the other hand, Damon's face itself is oddly expressionless, but his gaze is harsh on mine. _What's his problem? We're letting him off the hook for tonight, so what's got his nipples in a twist?_

Mentally shrugging, I ascend the staircase and turn into my bedroom. After closing the door, I jump when I find Damon behind me leaning against the opposing wall. _"__Jesus Christ, _Damon! Are you trying to kill me? What are you doing in here?"

D is silent for a few moments, eyes frequently scanning over my face as if looking for something in particular.

"You know," he sighs as he pushes himself off of the wall, taking a slow step towards me. Something in my rib cage wants me to take a step back away from him, and I'm frankly surprised that those biological survival instincts haven't died yet. "I'm telling you, those mannerisms are nearly _identical_."

Swallowing, I look at him suspiciously before putting my hands on my hips, "What the hell is that supposed to mean, Damon?"

He takes another stride closer, making my heart pump faster for some reason. _Is this what my chicken nuggets feel like when I watch them from the oven?_ "Well, for one, you and Lettie share an affinity for being _annoyingly _perceptive."

Another step forward.

"You both like to make up words when you can't express something properly."

Another step forward.

"You both rub your nose when you're angry. Very _adorable._" He's mocking me.

He's close enough now that if he reached out, he could grab my hand, but instead he stops right there, looking so intensely into my eyes that I swear my heart rate goes up ten notches. Even though there's a conservative amount of space between us, it's nearly suffocating, and I find myself puffing my cheeks up in annoyance that he has any effect on me in the first place.

A soft smirk appears on his darkly handsome face, his gaze still overwhelming, but slightly patronizing. _Is he trying to make me mad on purpose?_

"Piss _off_," I growl out, quickly getting very irritated that he's talking to me like I'm a child.

"Ooooo," he coos, taking another step closer until we're a foot apart, "I forgot just how _cute _you both are when you're mad. Very threatening."

"Yeah, sure, _whatever_, Damon," I huff, glancing off to the side and preparing to turn that way since Damon wasn't getting any tonight. I start to move when there's suddenly a firm grip on my elbow pulling me backwards. I move back to my original position, glaring at him.

"I don't have time for your games, D. I'm super tired right now, and if I don't get enough sleep for school I'll rip someone's head off tomorrow," I snap, glowering as hard as I can at his very not-distracting blue eyes.

His gaze has changed, it's deeper somehow, like he's trying to figure something out. Damon gently lets go of my arm, but I cross my arms in front of him, waiting for him to find whatever it is he's looking for.

He looks down at me curiously before shaking himself out of it, his smirk turning back to his typical one.

"Get some beauty sleep, Aly Cat."

I raise an eyebrow at him not asking what he wanted, but he just brushes past me to head towards my door. Shrugging it off, I start to walk to my bed when I hear Damon's footsteps stop right in front of the door.

Damon sighs through his nose before turning to look back at me out of the corner of his eye, and they look so_... soft. _So much kinder than they usually do.

"Do you remember anything from back then?"

My body stiffens slightly, but I shake my head. "Sometimes," I mutter, "I _see _her, D. As clear as day."

A small, self-deprecating grin appears on his face as he mock-salutes me on his way out.

"Try doing it for a _month._"

*

**_A/n: Yay!!! We're finally getting into Alessia's past lives, super exciting! Thank you for all of your amazing comments. Love y'all, I hope you're all well!_**

**_*_**


	26. Twenty Five

**Litost: **_def. _a state of agony and torment created by the sudden sight of one's own mystery

Chapter 25: Shit Has Hit The Fan.

"So, not only does Alessia potentially have a clone of herself, like Elena, but you guys _loved _the old Lessy clone?" Bons blinked her olive green eyes incredulously. "Are you guys secretly masochists, or something?"

_She makes a good point._

"Yeah, at this point I think you two are just gluttons for punishment," Caroline adds nonchalantly, stuffing a forkful of scrambled eggs in her mouth.

Reaching over her arm to gesture to Caroline to pass the goddamn bacon already, I honestly can't believe that this is my new normal morning. Caroline primly spreads butter on her toast thinly, humming a light tune to herself adorably. Caroline was in the final stretch of finishing up her gorgeous Founders Parade float, with a bit of me, Bons, and Elena's help, and she was finally de-stressing. It had taken her a few sleepovers to get used to the fact that she didn't have to look cute at the breakfast table, but now, she's become completely comfortable at the Salvatores, hair in a mess and still in her pajamas. Bons, on the other hand, must've slept well because she was _clearly _about to have a great day. The vibes around her were super pleasant, and now that she wasn't as stressed about Isobel, she was practically melting into every chair.

_Poor Bons._

She'd been so stressed out as of late that seeing her finally relax after two weeks was really nice. It was funny in a bit of a sad way how Bonnie was already somewhat unsurprised by any new supernatural dilemma.

_Witches are real? _Okay. _There's a tomb that is sardine-packed with dangerous vampires? _Alright. Altogether, she was becoming very adaptable in a very short period of time, doing her magic lessons when able, but not stressing if she was too busy to get to it. I guess she had taken it to heart when I told her to take it easy this year, despite everything.

She had done five AP classes last year, and it was just too much for her. Don't get me wrong, Bons is super smart, but that along with the pressure that non-founding family kids felt for not being born in the right family was all just too much for her. I told her to take it easy at the end of our cheer summer camp when she had a breakdown over starting junior year. It made me happy to see her taking my advice.

She smiles warmly at something Elena says, and as much as I'm not a fan of Gilbert, I know she makes my sister happy for the most part. All in all, feels like a beautiful morning.

Elena bites her lip, smiling at Bonnie but nervously fidgeting and clearly trying to _not _freak out.

_Weird._

Then, I see her glance up at Stefan with a dark look, and the look on Stefan's face is perturbing. It's stiff, nervous, and if he were human, I'd be concerned about him passing out.

What the hell is their problem this morning?

_Oh wait, **duh**, his ex-love looks like me!_

Immediately choking on a laugh, I quickly descend into a coughing fit. Damon quickly starts laughing at my pain, and I can see the rest of the table struggling not to as well.

_You're all comedians._

Gulping down my coffee in massive heated gulps to try and wash the cough away, I glower at the rest of the table. "Glad I have such good friends that laugh at me while I'm _choking_ to death!"

Bons gives me major side-eye as she bites into another heap of hash browns _coated _in tabasco sauce. "'_To death?'_ You're such a drama mama, Lessy."

Glaring playfully at my little sister, I straighten my figure and attempt to blow a loose curl out of my face. "Am _not. _I'm perfectly sensible."

Stefan snaps out of his nervous stupor to look at me in a hurtful amount of disbelief, eyebrow raised as amusement dances across his pretty face.

"Alessia. You almost cried when I told you that we were out of peanut butter this morning."

Rolling my eyes, I glare at the baby Salvatore for speaking such blasphemy in my presence. Not only that, he's reminded me of my _painfully _naked toast.

"Peanut butter _is_ a serious matter, _Stefan._"

Damon decides to ride along on the Roast-of-Alessia train, adding, "Not to mention, you also mourned the loss of a squirrel you ran over last week."

"_Hey!"_ I snap back, "I felt bad!"

Bons once again unhelpfully adds, "Lessy. You made me and Damon attend the funeral. You made me give a _speech."_

*

_* **Flashback**: 1 Week Ago *_

*

"I... Um.. This squirrel was an _important_ and _valid_ part of the animal kingdom. And.. We're all _very _sad that he's gone.." Bonnie speaks out awkwardly, as me, Damon, and her stand around the upwards stick on a patch of displaced dirt in the backyard. We're all wearing black, the color of mourning. Damon is wearing a suit in respect, and Bons is wearing a pretty black dress.

Another tear rolls down my cheek, and as I dab my liquid grief with my tissue, Damon groans loudly.

"_Aly Cat. _It's a fucking _squirrel, _can we finish this up already?"

I glare at him, "Well, if it wasn't for _someone _trying to tear my radio out in a vampire rage, I wouldn't have been distracted and _hit _the squirrel. Suck it up, Manslaughter-er."

He rubs his head tiredly with one hand. "That's _not a word, **dammit**!"_

*

* _**Flashback** **End ***_

*

Pouting, I cross my arms in a huff. "So we're gonna talk about _me_ acting all caddywhompus, but not Damon tearing out my radio for listening to Nickelback?"

Smacking his palm against the table hard enough to make Elena and Caroline jump, I smirk victoriously at Damon's irritated face.

"Stop making up words, Aly. _I'm begging. _Also, Nickelback is garbage. You were warned ahead of time what I'd do if you kept playing it._"_

"This begging is sounding an _awful_ lot like insulting my taste in music," I quip back, and I can tell that Damon isn't pleased at me at the moment by the way his fork looks wavy when he sets it down.

_Aw, poor baby._

As if he read my mind, his eyes bore into mine, annoyance radiating off of the pretty blue shades. Stefan clears his throat, clearly wanting to change the subject before Elena remembers that I'm his reincarnated ex-love.

That's still a weird concept, to be honest.

"So, I know no one _wants _to talk about it right now, but what are we going to do about Isobel?" Stefan asks, quickly changing the mood of the table from 'playful banter' to 'war room'.

Caroline groans, rolling her pretty cornflower blue eyes, "_Ugh. _Aless was right. You _are _a 'fuddy dud', Stefan! I don't wanna talk about _that _first thing in the morning!"

With that, Damon doesn't even say anything, just exhales from his nose angrily and _leaves. _

There's a pause, until the room bursts with laughter. My sides hurt, I have tears rolling down my cheeks, and I already _know _in my soul that D is gonna get back at us for laughing at him. Wiping my eyes, I glance around the room and realize that Elena is the only one not laughing.

She's staring hard at the table, not blinking. Finally, she smacks the table hard, getting everyone in the room's attention, and probably Damon's as well if he isn't too far away.

Stefan quickly rights himself, standing up and walking towards Elena to check on her, but she smacks his hands away.

"Do you think that I'm just going to sit here and _laugh_ when you've hidden something _huge_ from me again, Stefan?"

Caroline chokes on her sip of orange juice, quickly righting herself as she watched the couple tensely. "You know, Elena, why don't we just let you and Stefan chat real quick and-!"

Stefan surprisingly cuts her off, "No. Please, stay. _Love_ having an audience for our disagreements, Elena."

I blink up at him, very much surprised at his snarky tone of voice.

"_Well," _Elena winds up, "If you would actually _talk _to me in private, I wouldn't _bring in an AUDIENCE!_"

My squinting at the loud volume makes Elena's wrathful, bunny-slippered attention snap to me. "And you. I know it wasn't _you _really, but please just stay away from my boyfriend. Please, Alessia."

The eye roll I pull could touch heaven and I swear my sarcasm is so palpable, I can cut it. "_Yes, Elena. Because I'm all up on your boyfriend's dick as it is."_

She glares at me momentarily before going back at Stefan, and I just can't help but wonder if this is going to last all morning.

*

It lasted all morning.

_I'm frankly surprised they didn't break up._

But, anyhoo.

Preparations for the Founders Parade were nearly complete, but Sergeant Caroline was on it like white on rice. Guiding people, positioning food vendors, the girl isn't even in charge of this thing, she just does it anyway because she's a control freak.

But she's _my_ control freak.

Smiling at her momentarily, I turn back to tying and gluing pale yellow ribbons along the edge of the float. It was perfectly southern, and sweet, and very Care Bear.

Turning to grab the glue gun, I smile brightly at one Tyler Lockwood who's walking around the set with a giant black garbage bag. Catching another fly-away piece of colorful tissue paper, he smiles down warmly at me with the sun at his back.

"Heyo, Ty. Having fun with your first trial as a future garbage man?"

He smacks my arm playfully before moving to sit beside me. "_Actually, _believe it or not, I've missed you, you little shit. Where the _hell _have you been lately?"

Sighing, I lean my head against his shoulder tiredly, discreetly using the sleeve of his t-shirt to wipe off the sweat on my forehead. "Oh, _Ty_," I sigh dramatically, and he starts petting my head mockingly, "You wouldn't _believe _how hard I've worked the last two weeks! I'm surprised I don't have white hair."

"You _did _have white hair." He corrects, twisting my cheek for good measure.

Smacking his hand away, I pause momentarily, putting a finger to my lips. "Nuance," I shrug it off, "Point is, I'm tired and wanting to _party."_

_Seriously though. _Every party since this school year started, outside of that one bonfire, I have been super focused and very sober. Two things I don't _love _being. I had two brother vamps to deal with, another vamp playing everything behind the scenes.. really, I was just too busy to have a good time now, and it was killing my positive vibes.

I might've been an overachiever, but I _also_ was the bonafide party _queen _of Mystic Falls. I was always ready to go if someone had drinks and a spot to drink them. There is a reputation for me to uphold.

"I _know," _Tyler cooes, playing with a particularly thick copper curl, "You've been so busy that Kiki Maddox is swiping your 'Dancing Queen' title."

Gasping offendedly, my eyes narrow on Tyler's and he immediately retreats into a placating stance, hands up as he shrugs at me.

"Hey! Don't shoot the messenger! I'm just letting you know that the longer your seat is open.. _well_," pausing before looking at me deep in my eyes, and I can tell he's kinda nervous.

"Ty, are you okay?"

"Yeah, totally. I just.. Well, I wanted to ask if—!"

Tyler is cut off when I hear someone calling out to me from the distance. Turning on my heel, I am greeted with the view of Jeremy Gilbert heading our way.

_Hm. Well, can't necessarily say it's a **pleasant** surprise._

Groaning, Tyler rolls his pretty dark eyes, clearly irritated that he couldn't finish what he was asking me and shoving his large hands in his jean pockets boyishly. I smile up at him and pat his shoulder in mock-consolidation.

"Aw, don't worry, Ty, I'm never gone _forever. _Ask me later, though?" I ask, enjoying the soft, affectionate look he gives me in return.

Looking up at the now very close Baby Gilbert, he sighs once again, glancing over at me earnestly. "Ya know," he says under his breath, allowing only me to hear him, "If he does _anything,_ tell me and I'll beat him to a pulp."

Rolling my eyes before playfully shoving him away from me, Tyler chuckles and shoves me straight back, promptly turning and waving his goodbye as he walks away.

My smile leaves and is quickly replaced by a blank face as Jeremy stops about two feet away with me, dark eyes unreadable as he puts his hands in his hoodie pockets. I set the ring of ribbon on the stool by my side, standing up and dusting off my hands just in case he wants revenge for the bloody nose.

"Howdy, little Gil. Did you need something from me?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. The immediate vibe I get is that he doesn't want to be here talking to me, but feels like he has to.

Glancing down at me from his impressive height, Jeremy attempts to subdue his glare at me, shuffling from one foot to the other nervously. He's silent for a few minutes, and I finally get fed up and turn to pick back up my ribbon. Or at least I would have if he hadn't grabbed my elbow.

I have to hold back the muscle-retained memory of jabbing when someone grabs me like this, instead glaring up at the boy. "Get the fuck on with it, Jeremy. I have a float to ribbon."

Sighing before angst-ily looking to and fro on the ground, his gaze meets mine once again. Eyes conflicted, he finally speaks.

"I remember what happened to Vicki."

Blink once.

Blink twice.

_Oh yeah. Totes forgot that he found her diary._

My eyebrow quirks up again, and Jeremy seems perturbed by my lack of surprise. "Oh?" I ask.

"Yes," he breathes out, "I know you helped her after she bit Elena, and I wanted.. I wanted to say thanks. I know we don't like each other, but I don't know what I'd do without Vicki."

I shrug, "Don't sweat it. She didn't deserve to die. Is she doing okay? I haven't been able to call her this week."

Suddenly, I hear the familiar whoosh! of someone vamp speeding, and I turn around just in time to be knocked out with some sort of heavy handheld object.

_You know I hear naps are lovely this time of year._

And with that, my brain slips into silent unconsciousness as my body is grabbed by my assailant.

*

_Alessia..._

_Alessia_...

Something shoves my shoulder repeatedly, but my ears feel like they're filled with cotton. My body felt ten times heavier than usual, and my brain fucking hurt.

_Alessia_...

"Alessia!! Wake up!!" I hear a familiar feminine voice call from the abyss, and suddenly I'm yanked out of whatever mental deprivation tank I was in. My heavy eyelids slowly open, revealing a disheveled Bonnie and Jeremy Gilbert. Blinking and then clutching my aching head, I turn to look at Bons.

"Where the fuck are we?" I mouth to her, unsure whether or not a vampire with super vampire hearing is involved.

Bons shrugs her shoulders, and although her olive eyes are steely, I can tell she is very scared right now. I nod at her to reassure her, but honestly, I have no idea where the fuck we are.

Looking around the sparsely decorated, otherwise empty living room, I realize exactly where I am as we all stand.

_It's the fucking house Isobel was supposed to take Jeremy to._

Guess this confrontation is gonna happen a lot more quickly than I thought. Footsteps start approaching the room, and I immediately reach into my boot, sliding Jeremy the only stake I had brought with me today.

Gesturing quickly towards him to shove it somewhere, I take a small breath of relief when he hides it in his hoodie pocket.

That was pretty much giving him the Super Mario equivalent of a mushroom. One extra shot at living in case me and Bons got distracted. Not a lot of room for error.

Several nearly naked pretty people enter the room first, splitting up and circling around us. Well, I say circling around us, but what I really mean is that they all laid artfully on separate pieces of furniture, and I can help the curl of disgust that spirals up my nose. Isobel's past time of collecting humans like knick knacks was something I had already been previously aware of, but it was still really gross to see in person.

She's a pretty attractive woman, it shouldn't be that hard to find consenting lovers. Not to mention, if she could bag Alaric Saltzman, she'd do fine at getting regular lovers that were out of her league.

The lady of the hour approaches, and underneath the sound of her heels, I hear another pair of footsteps.

_Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, who's my bad guy?_

Glaring hard at the entrance to the room, I reach down and grab Bonnie's hand, squeezing it for some reassurance. Just need someone else to say that everything will be fine, just need someone to give me some reassurance. Bons squeezes my hand back firmly, letting me know she's there. My heart rate must be going nuts, but all I draw in is a strong breath from my nose as Isobel walks in.

Or rather, struts.

She enters the room like a cool breeze, eyes blank with a mock-friendly smile on her face. She scans all three of us coolly, and I cock an eyebrow when the third party member doesn't enter the room, instead hovering outside anonymously.

"Welcome, Alessia and Bonnie Bennett, to my home," the vampiress starts diplomatically gesturing to the rest of the beautiful white living room. "Sorry for all the 'cloak and daggers', but we just had to get you alone, somehow. You are both very social young women who don't dally alone for long, so we decided to grab you when it was earliest convenient with whoever happened to be chatting with you. By the way, Jeremy, welcome. You look a lot like Miranda."

Baby Gilbert stiffens slightly behind me, and I feel Bons move up closer to where she's standing beside me instead of behind me.

"What do you want with us?" She asks resolutely as she grips my hand tightly. I squeeze hers back in turn.

Isobel's smile becomes slightly brighter, moving to take a seat in the chair at the left of the front of the room with a cross of her legs. "Like I said, I represent a party who is very interested in the two of you. They would like to extend an offer to you Bennett witches."

My brow furrows, quickly getting irritated at all of this political speak that was beating around the bush. "Get on with it, Mama Gilbert. I have no patience for people who don't get to the fucking point."

"Here, allow _me_," a sultry voice calls out from the hallway, and I groan inwardly at who the mastermind is. It's obviously who I thought it was, and to be frank, I wasn't super hyped to meet her.

When Katherine Pierce struts into the room she's all wiles and a sexy, domineering attitude, which, believe me, was difficult to say about someone who had the same face as Elena Gilbert. Bonnie gasps beside me, the hand squeezing mine increasing the pressure exponentially. Baby Gilbert is frozen, a complete deer-in-the-headlights expression on his face.

Raising an eyebrow, I feel Katherine Pierce's gaze move down the line of us, analyzing slowly before meeting my gaze. She looks me up and down, dark eyes mischievous and familiar. When our eyes finally meet for the first time, the playful grin on her lips spread even wider.

"I'm feeling awful hypocritical, but you look _exactly_ like her. I'm liking the change to red hair though, very bold. It's very _new_ for me to be on the other end of that reaction."

"Thanks, cool. Get to the point," I say firmly, crossing my arms as I prepare to use my magic in case of a threat. Although it was _super _flattering to hear that she liked my hair. Seriously, out of all the people involved ain this weird scenario I was in, there were really only two people I'd respect if they told me my hair was shit: Katherine and Caroline.

Bons' opinion was valid, of course, and Rebekah was someone I'd take a note after, but those were my top two when it came to style. Anyone less giving me their opinion would be automatically invalidated.

_Irrelevant. Focus._

Right.

Katherine is still looking deep in my eyes, and I swear right there that I have no idea how they mix up Katherine and Doppelena. Katherine has a sort of wily feral attitude about her. She's very survival-oriented, very _smart. _These are things that I already know about Katherine Pierce, but it's much more obvious seeing her in person.

"My _point_, little witch, is we need a bit of help, and you Bennett witches are the _perfect _solution."

Bonnie glares harder at her, "What '_problem', _exactly? And why do you think we'd help the likes of _you?_"

_Ah, there's that Bennett charm._

Suddenly, there's another set of footsteps approaching. Heavier ones. Sharply facing Katherine head on, I have a difficult time monitoring the snark in my voice when I ask, "Who's '_we', _Katherine?"

"Well, that'd be me."

A deep voice calls out into the room, and my breath hitches when I catch sight of _deep _oak brown eyes rounding the corner.

_Oh, this might've just gotten either better or worse._

"_Elijah_," I whisper nearly silently, breathless at just how crazy everything has become.

His eyes lock on mine, and it's like he's _stuck_. Probing brown eyes scan my face erratically, as if not believing I'm actually there. Suddenly, there's a whole lot of 'hot Original' in my face, right in front of where I stand besides Bons, making me let go of her hand. Gasping at the sudden intrusion to my personal space, Elijah takes it farther by taking another step forward and deeply inhaling the air around me, probably for a scent. I want to take a step back, it's so _personal._

_"Dahlia,"_ he sighs affectionately, and the name makes my heart rate skyrocket and my fists clench tightly.

**_GOD FUCKING DAMMIT-!_**

**_*_**

**_A/n: Hiya everyone, hope you're all doing well! Crazy chapter, huh? It's only gonna get crazier. I've decided to go balls to the walls with this idea, so let's see how far I can go. Have a great rest of your day!_**

**_*_**


	27. Twenty Six

**_A/n: !!TRIGGER WARNING!! There's a mention of a suicide attempt at the beginning of this chapter. It's not explicit, but if you'd rather not see it, skip down to after the italicized "_**_The rest of the world can burn up along with all the fucks I give."_

_*_

**Quiddity:**_ def. _the inherent nature or essence of something

Chapter 26: Deals Are Made, Consequences Are Paid.

I tried to kill myself once.

The darkest of thoughts consumed my mind after a few years of living here. I believed that my prior life must've been completely choked with karmic negativity because this was the most infernal existence ever.

I was taking care of toddler!Bons all the time, and it's unfortunate, but she wasn't much in the way of conversation back then. I saw her more as a chore that needed to be managed effectively along with my other ones. I felt completely alone, taking care of not only Bonnie, but also making sure Grams ate and drank water between her 'out' sessions.

In the other timeline, Grams seemed to be a much more reliable figure, someone that Bonnie could depend on when she was older. Bonnie needed her.

I'm going to guess that Grams had come to that conclusion at some point in the first timeline, after the realization that Bonnie wouldn't be able to live without her pulling it together, because she never did for us. There was an extra 'adult' there. I was self-sufficient by four, able to speak, walk, talk, cook, and bring Grams her whiskey. Not to mention, I watched Bons like a hawk, it was almost like having a built-in babysitter.

I was so alone those years.

And one night, when I was ten, I finally lost it when Bons failed her Science Fair project when we had spent over six hours on it last minute, the night before it was due. I downed three bottles of miscellaneous pills and went to sleep, hoping I wouldn't wake up in the arms of another mother.

Ten _years_.

I know I gloss by it a lot, pretending it wasn't a big deal to me, but it was. It wasn't easy for me to get here. I worked my ass off in those martial arts courses. I have hustled since day one to save the people I care about the most.

And then, one day, when I was eleven, Caroline Forbes asked me if I have ever been genuinely happy.

I didn't have an answer.

She pulled me out of that dark place. Caroline and Bons are the ones who got me to actually make 'friends' with people I had already considered friends. The ones who wanted to join the cheerleading squad in high school, and we four Mystic Falls vixens would run this stupid town. After graduation, we'd all travel the world together. It would be me, Caroline, and Bons together forever with occasional visits from Elena.

The thing is, it was the first purely happy thing I've ever wanted for myself. The only thing I've ever wanted. And I decided then and there that I would do anything and everything to achieve that dream, with or without Elena.

And if that was selfish of me, why should I care?

_The rest of the world can burn up along with all the fucks I give._

So, as we all sat in the living room of that foreclosure, I held that dream tightly in my mind. A way of grounding; a way to not panic at the obvious change in plan. Because, Bonnie's horrified face at the idea of Elijah somehow knowing a past incarnation of mine isn't even close to how badly I'm freaking out about this.

"_Dahlia_?" I ask. Wait a second, isn't that the name of their aunt or whatever?

_Yes, you wouldn't believe how much his mother hated me for it._

Oof, unfortunate. Does that have anything to do why we're reincarnating?

...

Radio silence.

Well. That can't be any good.

Oh, well. Things to panic over later on.

"What is the meaning of this, _Katerina_?" Elijah asks with a sharp turn to face her. The woman herself stood besides Isobel, arms crossed defensively and eyes giving away nothing. I had to admire the balls on Katherine Pierce: 'the baddest bitch of them all.' To not only get Elijah Mikaelson to come to you after evading him for 500 years, but to also have the backbone to stare him dead in the eye and make demands? It's the type of crazy that I can admire, because not only is it smart; it's _brilliant_.

She smiles coyly at him, batting her dark, mysterious eyes.

"It's a _gift_, Elijah. A peace offering. I was tired of running from you and your brother, thinking of ways to get out of it, when I remembered something a little birdie told me while you and Klaus tried to lure me in for the ritual. A little secret about your oh-so-elusive family beginnings— In particular, the name 'Dahlia', and how I'd never be able to take her place. Crazy, the things you find out when the little sister is jealous of you."

_Rebekah talked about me? And what did she mean about that?_ Dahlia asks in my mind, and I mentally shrug, completely clueless. Elijah's stance stiffens further, his gaze intense and nearly angry.

"I see. And what else do you plan to offer for your freedom? You surely know that this isn't enough to atone for your running away," he eloquently speaks, adjusting his cuff links as he does so, and I know I'm pretty close to a panic attack, but that is _hot_.

"Easy," she replies, clasping her hands together as she saunters closer to him. "I have lots of little birdies out there, Elijah. Heard through the grapevine that you and Klaus are on the outs again. I'll help you kill him if you let me go."

They were obvious enough about it that she heard? Were they still fighting over the same thing?

Bonnie's hand squeezes in repetition twice on my hand, catching my attention and making me look at her through the corner of my eye.

"Let's go!" She mouths urgently, trying not to catch Isobel's attention.

I shake my head slightly but firmly. It was important that if Elijah was here early, everyone was informed on the Klaus situation promptly so that I could properly prepare for it.

And by that, I mean that I don't want Elena captaining our ship.

No offense to her, this has nothing to do with my personal opinion. It's the fact that Elena is too moral to be the one making the decisions here. She's actually too good of a person for the job. Elena Gilbert is a young girl who has just recently discovered that the world isn't such a nice place, and not everyone is a good person. However, because she's young, she thinks that 'not good' is the same as 'evil', and she judges her problems based on those beliefs. It's completely fine to think that way, but it's a bit simplistic when it comes to spooky politics.

None of the vampires that I have ever met or will ever meet (that I'm aware of) are who I'd classify as a good person, besides Caroline. Stefan's a ripper; Damon's a sadistic prick; Katherine is Katherine; Elijah doesn't care about murdering someone; Klaus is Klaus; Rebekah is a sadistic bitch; Kol is Kol; etc., etc.

So, we can't judge our sides based off of how 'good' one side is. The way things were looking, I was probably going to be assigning myself as squad ambassador, otherwise it'd be Bonnie. Caroline isn't a vampire, and until it's something she wants, I'll be defending her neck, so she's not applicable. Katherine wouldn't be good—Klaus would kill her. Elijah and Klaus clearly can't be in the same room at the moment. Elena's weak, Damon is going to be all weird about KitKat, and Stefan is Stefan.

So, up to the Bennett witches to save the day yet again. Maybe we could tag team it?

_You're doing so well, Alessia,_ Loretta whispers in the back of my mind, and it's oddly comforting. _Don't worry, soon you'll have all of us to help you._

All?

_All is well, Alessia. **Focus**,_ they both whisper.

"And you believe that you'd be able to assist me in that endeavor? You've been running from him your entire existence," Elijah coldly analyzes, and I see the fox-like glint in Katherine's eyes sharpening.

"Yes, actually," she smirks darkly, secrets nearly dripping off her lips, "I've arranged the perfect scenario for you to be able to. I have the moonstone on its way here with a perfectly useable werewolf taking care of it, a Petrova doppelgänger sitting nice and pretty, and there's a little vampire in this town no one will miss that I can retrieve easily.

"_Invite Klaus here._ Trick him into coming. Let him think you've set up the ritual for him. That'll give us plenty of time to figure out how to get rid of him, or at least trap him until we can," Katherine says, like she's annoyed she has to spell it out for him.

"Wait a minute," Bons cuts in, making every person in the room turn to her, Isobel in particular looking rather unimpressed. "What does this have to do with us?"

Isobel's eyes harden, and I tense up as she turns more towards my sister, a darkly amused look on her face. She turns to look me in the eye, sensing my glare as she replies to Bons, "Children should remain quiet when the adults are speaking. We wouldn't want to _hurt_ any of you."

Wait.

Wait, wait, wait.

Does this bitch think I'm scared of _anyone_ in this damn room?

I arch a brow at her, not amused in the slightest. I might not have anything to take Elijah down, and Katherine might be able to escape, but I would at least kill four vampires in this room. Big question mark on who out of the seven, but Isobel can bet her ass she's gonna be one of them.

She raises hers in challenge, turning back to Bonnie, and I'm ready to go whenever. In fact, the moment one of her guys moves towards Jeremy, I'm on her.

"_Ossox_."

Several of Isobel's bones twist and snap painfully, making her collapse to the floor in pain. Screaming, she thrashes as the spell threads through several of her bones, shattering them into pieces over and over as her vampire body continues to try and heal the damage. Rolling my eyes at her caterwauling, I see that Bonnie has just magically snapped the neck of the vampire that ran after Jeremy.

**Holy shit.**

Bonnie's gaze is firm and unflinching; not nearly the look of shock I assumed she'd have at committing her first liable 'murder.'

Probably need to chat about that one, later.

I see Jeremy pull out the stake from his hoodie, twisting it tightly in his unpracticed grip nervously, and I'm just glad that I don't have to protect him at this very moment.

Isobel looks rather pathetic screaming on the floor as I look on with indifference, before I glance up at KitKat and Mr. Original. It's strange, Katherine doesn't move to save her lackey, watching her wriggle like a worm with nothing more than a look of slight annoyance.

Cocking my hand on my hip, I keep it up for another ten seconds before muttering, "_Stallia_," and letting the off-switch bitch tremble as her body heals, holding her gaze with mine.

"Let me make it abundantly clear. I don't give a fuck who you are or why we're here, but I think you've forgotten who you're talking to," I say, walking slowly around her, and I cheerfully realize that Katherine and Elijah are still being kind enough as to not interfere— instead, watching with keen interest.

"Allow me to introduce myself to the parties who are unaware; my name is Alessia Bennett. Co-captain of the Mystic Falls Spirit Squad, powerful witch, and all-around bitch," I drawl on, glancing down at my nails as Isobel starts to stand up. "And I was raised with the concept of respect being _given_ when respect is _earned_."

I pause, tapping my forefinger on my chin thoughtfully as an idea strikes me.

Dwelling on the thought for a moment before deciding to roll with it, I kick Isobel hard in the stomach as she attempts to sit up, heeled toe curling painfully in her still-healing muscles. Walking away, I roll my eyes at how big of a baby Elena's mom was being.

I didn't even kick her that hard.

Katherine suddenly breaks out in a slow clap as her lackey starts to stand on her own two feet, looking rather like she caught something she wanted in her KitKat trap.

"Oh good, you're not boring. It'll make for a more fun working relationship," my eyes meet her dark ones, and she winks, making me involuntarily groan.

"_Ugh_, can't you guys just say what you want? I don't think any of us has all day. I'm like 99% sure Damon knows where this place is, anyway," I mutter off, irritated that I'm even here, that this is even my life.

"You make an excellent point, _Alessia_," Elijah says with a bit of forced effort. The thought is respected however, and I soften up a bit at him. Isn't his fault we're stuck here, anyway. "The reason you were all brought here is to extend a business arrangement. Your friend, Elena, is in grave danger from one of the oldest supernatural forces to exist. If you help us, I assure you that she will be under my protection."

"Who's after Elena?" Bonnie and Jeremy ask at the same time, concern etching their features. Bons looks at me, olive eyes terrified for her friend, and I internally roll my eyes that I'm going to have to really protect Elena over the next couple weeks.

Because if Elijah is here now, odds are Klaus will be in town for the next full moon. With or without Elijah's invitation.

Katherine decides to helpfully add, "Your little friend is another identical knot on the string of Petrovas through history that can be used to end his curse. If she dies, it gets broken, and this guy becomes the strongest supernatural creature on the planet. A _hybrid_."

Blinking in faux-surprise, I hear Bonnie gasp besides me, her probably realizing just how dangerous things were going to get, like the little genius she is.

"What exactly does that have to do with me and Bons?" I ask, crossing my arms a little bit at the chill from the air conditioning. If only they had grabbed my sweater that was on the float. _Sigh_.

"Well, essentially, Alessia, we require a powerful witch's assistance with luring him here," Elijah elaborates, walking forward through the room as he continues, "A witch is essential to breaking the curse. Therefore, it would be much more enticing to him if he knows that there's a practiced Bennett witch preparing to do help him do so in Mystic Falls."

Oh.

_Well, he's not wrong,_ Dahlia whispers in my mind, _Klaus is a paranoid man. He'll still be suspicious of Elijah's sudden change of opinion towards him, but decidedly less so if he knows that all of the ingredients to break his curse are in town._

_Isn't it a bad idea to have all of the ingredients in town, though?_ Loretta chimes in, significantly louder than Dahlia.

_She makes a good point,_ Dahlia decides after a moment. _Klaus could easily take the ingredients if he just tells his brother that he didn't drop their siblings in the ocean, among many other things. He could very easily break his curse on his own and not give Elijah the chance._

True.

But, that's not my problem. The only thing I'm worried about is Bonnie making it through okay. Whether or not Elena dies isn't any of my concern, and I could give less than two shits about Klaus becoming a hybrid. Good on the guy, it must suck having a part of yourself locked away for a thousand years.

The question is: What could Alessia fuck up if she does something wrong as the witch participant?

Well, duh, obviously I'm not letting Bonnie do the spell. She's making great strides and I'd even consider her a prodigy in her own right, being fairly close to what I'd consider an intermediate witch after only a couple of weeks of training. However. She's very much a green witch, and she didn't have much practical experience. Bons is extremely gifted, but there's only so much you can do well based purely off of talent.

It takes practice, and I've had a lot of that.

Taking a glance at Bonnie, I can tell that she can tell exactly what I'm thinking. Glaring something fierce at me, she sharply shakes her head, looking warily around at the room full of vampires. But, my mind is already made up.

I'd have to play both sides of the fence to keep Bonnie safe. Fuck the consequences.

Smiling, I turn to Elijah and extend out my hand.

"Of course, I'll need some more details, but this Bennett witch is at your service. Even if it's for Elena Gilbert."

*

Numbers and contacts were exchanged briefly before the impromptu 'meeting' was over. The vampires all left the house, leaving me, Bons, and Jeremy to stand there briefly in silence.

That had been a little crazy.

The lights are on within the pristine foreclosed house, and I can't help but think the place feels very eerie without much sound. Or at least that's what I thought before Bons started yelling.

"_What the hell were you thinking Alessia?!"_ She bellows, and I wince slightly at not only the volume, but the pure fury-fueled fire glowing bright in those olive eyes.

Raising my arms in mock-surrender I sheepishly smile, "It's _fine_, Bons. I'm the only seasoned Bennett we've got at the moment. Don't you want to save Elena?"

Smacking my arm, she glowers darkly at me. "We have no proof of what they're saying! One of them is Katherine. You know? The girl who manipulated and lied to Damon for like a hundred years?! _They're lying._"

Getting a bit annoyed at how stubborn she's being, I roll my eyes, snarking as I walk out of the living room, "And what if they're not, Bons? You're going to risk her life over a _maybe_?"

Turning to the door, Bons is hot on my heels as Jeremy follows behind awkwardly. We had a long walk home, and I was tired.

Bons, however, doesn't drop the subject for later.

"You can't just _do_ stuff like that without talking to me, Lessy! We're family; families talk to each other!"

"Ours clearly doesn't, Bons! I'm pretty sure we're exempt." I bite out, and the moment I say it, I regret it.

Deep hurt marks Bonnie's face as she stops walking, and I quickly turn to apologize. "Bons, I— that wasn't what I—."

I'm cut off by the sound of cars pulling into the driveway. Spotting Damon's baby blue baby, I'm suddenly greeted to an eyeful of Damon himself in front of me. His eyes are wild, and angry, and I don't quite understand why, but he tugs me roughly into a hug.

Oh yeah, we were kidnapped. Ha.

My heart pounds when I realize that Damon's never actually hugged me before, making my face flush in an innocent way at the sudden contact. The hug is broken as quickly as it forms, Damon instead pulling away to look over me with the eye of a mother hen. "You good?" He asks, scanning my face deeply for any sign of damaged goods.

Nodding, I grimace inwardly that I have to be the one to tell him I'm working with his ex-girlfriend to save the girl who looks like his ex-girlfriend.

"Damon, we need to—," I'm cut off by a firm, familiar voice call from the opposite side of the car, the person getting out of the car quickly to look at me.

"_Alessia Marie Bennett."_

Blinking, I look at her, and a small part of me buried very deeply inside is happy to see her. It also explains the chills from earlier.

"Oh, _joy_. You brought Grams."

*

No one spoke as we drove Jeremy back home to Elena's waiting, and effectively doomed arms. No one spoke when we drove back to the boardinghouse after. Oh, no.

The shouting match started about ten minutes after, while I was in the middle of informing the Salvatores of my recent business relationship. Rolling my eyes as I take another sip of the sweet tea in my glass, I call out in-between Bons and Grams shouting, "It's not that big of a deal! You're all being irrational."

"Alessia," my Grams snaps, glaring at me from where she stood in front of the couch. "This is serious, child. Can't you be mature for once? This could be life or death!"

Bons stands across from her, hands clenched tight as she heatedly glowers at Grams. "Wonder where she got it from," she snaps, and I look up at her, offended.

"_Hey_!" I yell, mouth dropped open at just how rude that was.

Groaning, Damon moves from the spot he's been occupying against the far wall, walking forward to refill his glass. "Can't you do this in _your_ living room? This isn't Jerry Springer."

"I'd _love_ to," I say with a sickeningly sweet smile, crossing my legs primly, before glancing venomously at Grams, "If me and Bons had a living room. Speaking of which, Grams, how's empty-nesting? Does it feel strange this early?"

Grams looks like she wants to smack me right across my mouth, but she doesn't move; instead, she's content with trying to melt my brain with her glare. A few moments of silent ring. Well, almost silence. Stefan Salvatore sits at the other couch besides it's corner table, spinning a coin along its surface while staring deeply into the fireplace, brows deeply furrowed.

The sun has started to set, flooding the beautiful home with the lights of a spectacular sundown. Golds, reds, pinks, purples. Truly, I wish I was in a better mood to look at how pretty it is, but it just makes me more mad that I'm mad right now.

"Why are you even _here_, anyway?" Bonnie finally asks, crossing her arms defensively. "You said we were on our own."

Grams' dark eyes switch to a slightly passive, almost apologetic glint, frown marring her aging face. For a moment, for a split moment, I miss her. I miss how she used to smack my hand when I'd try to swipe brownie batter. I miss how she used to teach me how to deal with my thick, kinky hair. I miss everything that made her my Grams, flaws and all.

"I've come to regret what I said that night. You girls are my grand babies. I could never stop caring about you," she says quietly, looking earnestly at Bonnie and I.

Something about it pisses me off even more.

"That makes it even _worse_!" I snap, finally standing and yelling at her, and everyone looks at me slightly shocked. I was never one to yell in a fight, and I don't think I ever have in front of them. This was me at my most emotionally exhausted. "You _left_ us there! You knew what it did to me and Bons when mom left! _You knew!_ And you went and did it anyway, to _hurt_ us."

Pausing, I realize that I have a tear already midway down my cheek. Wiping it off roughly, and frankly embarrassed at this weak show of emotion that I didn't authorize, I pull myself back together. Slowly changing my face back to its emotionless slate and sharp eyes, I fiercely stare her in the eye, daring her to say that I'm wrong. "And you have the nerve to call _me_ 'immature?'"

"I know, I _know_, and I'm so _sorry_, Alessia, _Bonnie_," she replies earnestly, eyes watering. "I adore you both. I've put you both through so much and I'm so _sorry_, girls, but you know I'm sick. I'm getting help, and I'm getting my shit together. I did the tracking spell for the Salvatores, not only because I wanted to save you, but also because I want us to be a _family_ again. _Please_."

I want my heart to stay hard, but it doesn't.

"_Please_, babies," she begs, extending her hands towards us warmly, and I just want her back. I want everything to be normal for ten fucking minutes. Tightening my jaw, I stay there when Bons breaks, rushing over to Grams' waiting arms.

I _want_ it. So badly.

_But is it a good idea..?_ I hear Lettie ask somewhere in my mind. _Is now a good time?_

Who cares?

And that's all it takes. I slowly walk over to Grams, who's holding a weeping Bonnie tightly in her arms, comforting her as she whispers in her ear and kisses her forehead. Her small, warm hand reaches down and grabs mine tightly, and I smile, knowing I made the right decision. Things would be much more easy to control from home base, anyway.

"Good riddance," Damon says, completely unenthused with our emotional harping. "Now, get out of my living room already and quit being noisy. I don't care if you leave, just _shhh_..." he finishes with exiting the room, and Bons smiles brightly at me.

"Let's go pack our things?" Bons asks, gesturing over to the stairs before glancing over her shoulder at the younger, pensive Salvatore. "No offense, Stefan, but I miss my bed," she says, and he just waves his hand at her in response, warm smile on his handsome face letting her know not to worry about it.

Smiling, I run upstairs to pack first, Bons yelling and quickly following behind. With both of our luggages, someone had to sit in the back of Damon's car with them, and that unlucky S.O.B. is whoever has their luggage in last.

*

I fold up my last pair of underwear, glancing around the now effectively empty guest room. It's a shame that I have to leave the lap of luxury, but this room was never my room. It didn't have my lava lamp, or my rose garden in the backyard; it just couldn't compete.

Hearing a quiet knock at the door, I glance up and see Stefan, who's green eyes were very serious.

"You need help with something, Stefano?" I ask lightly with a smile, in an excellent mood now that my familial karma was restored to its rightful place.

"Yes, actually," he replies lowly, looking at the ground rather than at me. "I was wondering if I could get your advice on something?"

Raising my eyebrow, I glance at the vampire again momentarily, then take a seat on the edge of the guest bed, patting the spot next to me.

Smiling wryly as he walks over, silly smirk on his face, I can't help but ask with a giggle, "Need another bedside talk, man? Two in a month is a little absurd."

He chuckles slightly, sitting besides me and making the bed dip slightly to the right. Then, he sighs, and the way it sounds.. it's just so tired.

"Alessia, have you ever been in love with someone?" Stefan starts off, and I can't help but wonder where the hell this is going.

_I have,_ Lettie says.

_Me, as well, _Dahlia sighs dreamily. _And isn't it lovely?_

He wasn't asking you two.

"I don't know, honestly," I say quietly, playing with one of the silver rings on my fingers. "I've always thought that I might not be capable of loving someone. And before you get it in your head, no, it's not from the daddy issues. It's from _Alessia_ issues."

Stefan's face then twists in confusion. "'_Alessia_ issues?'"

Nodding, I glance up at Stefan and his pretty green eyes in a way that lets him know that I'm actually being serious with him. "Yeah, dude. Sometimes, I look at myself in the mirror, and I hate who I see. Not necessarily in a physical way, but I just don't like me in any variety of packaging. I don't really understand why anyone would willingly choose to keep all this, ya know?" I ask, gesturing to the grande hot mess that is Alessia Bennett.

Stefan's face is blank for a moment or two, forest green eyes wide and unblinking. There's a beat of silence, and then his entire handsome face morphs into something I'd expect if he was looking at someone who wasn't mentally well.

"_What_? Alessia," he pauses, almost seemingly frustrated. "Trust me. No one has ever had any trouble with not being able to love you. Everyone loves you."

Turning sharply to him, I see his pupils expand slightly when I glare at him, "That's _not_ the same, Stefan. You know that. I know that. _Loving_ someone is entirely different than being _in love_ with someone. People love me because I make them feel better; I make them laugh. But no one's in love with me. I'm the weak comedy relief in my own romance movie."

Rolling his eyes, Stefan looks at me like I'm the idiot here.

"Alessia. Trust me. No, you're not," he says firmly, eyes meeting mine earnestly, and I once again fall down the forest green rabbit hole.

It's just like the parking lot after Mr. Tanner died. The air is thick and heady like lightning will zip through it any moment. My heart is pumping at a rate that has to be noticeable, and that fact makes me flush even brighter as his eyes bore into me. How does he even _do_ that? Take your breath away and make you feel like the only girl in the world.

God, his eyes are mighty fine. Strong emerald ellipses with occasional flecks of amber and brown, giving them dimension, they were like wormholes attached to his head. They absorbed any and every thing in their path, and then if your gaze was caught in it, all you thought of was about how lovely they were.

The sudden rap against the door makes us both snap out of it, Stefan quickly standing from the side of the bed where we had been a lot closer than originally intended. Bonnie peaks her beautiful brown head in with a smile, not suspecting anything whatsoever.

"You almost ready to go, Lessy?" She asks, and I smile and nod in reply.

"Of course! Give me like five minutes."

She smiles again, closing back the door in place, and I let out a sigh of relief. That was close. What the hell was I thinking?! Quickly zipping up my luggage, I do that weird 'smile, not-smile' thing to Stefan awkwardly before bounding down the stairs and out the door to discover Bonnie's suitcase in the car already there. Huffing, I shove mine in the back and hop in the backseat, angry at myself.

Whatever the hell that was needs to stay the hell away from me.

*

Sharp pain.

That's all I feel, is a sharp, burning pain roaring through my chest.

My eyes open slowly, but everything is dark and blurry.

Where am I?

What's happening?

Coughing, I feel something wet and copper-y splat against my lips. My hands shake from the effort, but eventually, I'm able to raise my hand through the limited darkness to touch my lips. Pulling back, I freeze when I can barely see the deep ruby glint of blood.

My eyes adjust further. My room? Why was I in my room?

That's right. Grams. We went home with Grams. Why am I in pain?

Liquid makes me choke further as I try to breathe, and I taste something very sour at the back of my throat. The pain in my stomach sharpens again, and I reach forward to clutch it, but instead only feel hard plastic lodging outside my skin.

Blinking further, the darkness in my gaze recedes further, and I'm oddly enough reminded of when I was first born in this world. How _ironic_.

I can now fully see the black knife handle twisted into my gut, and I try to scream, but all that comes up his more coughs and gagging. I see a hand attached to the knife, and my eyes water heavily when I recognize it.

That small, wrinkly hand.

Grams stands above my bed, face blank, and eyes completely black. It's horrifying, and I wish I could scream when she twists the knife further into my stomach, but all there is is more blood to cough up.

Am I going to die?

Is Grams going to kill me?

_Bons_.

Who would take care of Bonnie?

Raising my bloodstained hands weakly as Grams lifts the knife once again, I feel tears run down my cheeks as I reach out to my grandma. "G_-Grams_.." I cough out, "P-please, no... _Bonnie!..—_!"

"Abomination," she whispers, face emotionless.

The knife twists once more in my stomach, and all I see is black.

*****

**_A/n: I know you probably hate me for taking so long, but here it is! I know it's another cliffhanger, but every episode of Vampire Diaries ends on some sort of a cliffhanger, so I hope you'll be forgiving. I hope you enjoyed it, and sorry for how late it was, I started another book! It's a Klaus X OC called I'm Not Sure If I Even Like You._**

**_Thanks for all of your likes and comments!_**

**_Happy Valentines!_**

*****


	28. NewChapterUp

A/n: Sorry guys! Chapter 26 is up and ready to go! I keep seeing messages about not seeing my notifications, so I hope you see this! Enjoy the new chapter!


	29. Twenty Seven

**_*_**

**_A/n: Hi Guys! I personally apologize for that cliffhanger; I know it wasn't nice but the temptation was too strong haha. But! To make it up to you, here's a new chapter full of drama out super fast, so buckle up, people._**

*****

**Induraturize: **_def. _to make one's own heart hardened or resistant to someone's pleas or advances, or to the idea of love

Chapter 27: Who's Ready For A Revival?

What is up my lovelies? Have you been well? Having fun?

Because, I sure as hell am not.

Blinking, I realize that either everything is super dark, or I've gone blind. Did that old bat you call 'Grams' carve out your eyes?!?! Lettie exclaims from the deepest parts of my mind. Thank god, she's here still. I couldn't get through this alone.

Oh yeah.

_Grams_.

She tried to kill me.

It comes back in flashes, brief pictures of murder, blood, and pain all starring my innards. A painful twisting of regret and rage fill my stomach at the mention of her. Cold-blooded murder. By my own family member? Who I put on my Fantastic Four list? Thank heavens we did that linking spell or I'd actually be a goner.

_We'll have to pay her a visit,_ Dahlia says coolly, neither passionate nor menacing.

Nodding, I grimace as I try to wiggle around but realize that my arms and legs are firmly placed, encased in velvet felt. Panicking, I start wriggling much more, feeling my strength rejuvenate as I run my hands along the sides of the prison I'm in, urgently pressing for some sort of out button.

Am I in a fucking _coffin?_ Jesus, Bons. You knew I was coming back.

And that very moment is when I feel it.

Tracing my hand against one of the walls, I feel something fall out of a knick in the velvet. Stretching my arm further down, chest pressing hard against the velvet in front of me, I feel soil. My magic snaps back inside me, making me feel like electricity struck my hand, extending in and around me, deep into the soil, and there's a heady thrum from the Earth, calling out to me like a siren's song.

Oh, _yeah_.

This magical strength is unlike anything I've ever felt, wiring me deep into the magic of Mama Nature, and healing me. My full strength returning, I glare hard at the hard, unforgiving wall of velvet, not saying a word as I test out my own strength. The wall is blasted off with such force that it makes even me startle a bit.

The dirt pouring in doesn't bury me at all like I prepared for, instead, gently caressing me as it slowly lifts me into the light of day. Jesus Christ, why is the sun so _bright_?

My eyes slowly adjust to the light, eventually greeted to the beautiful, sweet sound of birds chirping and a bright sun shining on my face, and I can't help but smile in relief. Wiping my face, I realize that not only are my cheeks racing with tears down my face, but there's lipstick on my hand.

_Aw, they dressed us up for our funeral, how sweet,_ Dahlia chimes in, clearly chipper that the body holding her consciousness is alive and well.

Our funeral. _Ugh_. I take a deep inhale of that fresh air, slowly sitting up from the dirt and finding myself in the very familiar Mystic Falls cemetery. Glancing around, I see that it's barely winter; a light frost coating every blade of grass.

_Good._ Lettie hums, thoughtfully, before speaking again. _That means most likely we've only been gone a short period of time._

Outstanding. My legs are finally ready to walk, and I wobbly stand on the very high heels in the grass. Glancing down allows me to see my death outfit, and I have to say, I'm okay with it, but I expected a bit better.

I stand in a high-slit, square neck, plum mididress, and even though it's clearly a little dusty, it's still somewhat suitable for walking around in public which I'm grateful for. Hearing a twig break somewhere behind me, I quickly spin around, only to be greeted by appearance of a cute guy in a biker jacket.

His eyes are wide and uncomplicated as he looks at me, every thought clearly visible on his face, plain for me to read. He's nervous, he's suspicious, and judging by the way he looks me up and down, either I look way hotter in this dress than I thought, or I have something on my face.

I almost forgot that normal people are very easy to read; not everyone had secrets to hide every second of every day. It makes them seem.. well, he's a rather pale comparison compared to the simmering man meat that has slowly trailed into this town as of late. And I do mean quality and quantity. If Klaus and his family were awake and in town, that opened my options even further.

The guy finally offers me a bit of a smile, approaching closer. "You alright? Do you need a ride?" He asks kindly, and I feel a polite smile work up my face at his generosity.

"Actually, yes, thank you!" I reply, my voice hoarse from lack of use, but altogether more chipper than I actually feel.

Don't get me wrong, I'm more than happy to be alive and breathing. However, I can't seem to find it in myself to be grateful; the endless, dark sense of absolute betrayal twisting inside me consistently since I've awoken is a bit distracting. I can't find it in myself to feel very merciful, either, for that matter.

My smile tightens slightly, but I know it's the only outward sign that I'm feeling a little more than my daily dose of fury and absolute heartbreak. The boy—Tony, I think, gestures towards his waiting motorcycle, and I can't help the smirk that works it's way on my face.

I want _justice_. I want _liberation_. I want _vengeance_.

And so, I know exactly where to go first. "Would you mind running me by Oliver Street? I need to go home," I add, and he nods once again, bobbing his head like a water toy.

_Lovely._

*

"Breaking news! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you're seeing it here, first, tonight. I'm Walter Scabber, your local reporter, and we're taking you live to 1422 Oliver Street where an inferno has consumed the house of Sheila—click!"

I had been gone for over a month.

Rolling my eyes, I turn off the TV, not super happy with how the news reporter is telling the tale, but oh well. I wonder if I have a fascination with arson, because it almost feels like my burning one down has been something I've threatened since the beginning of this mess. Turning to face the empty boardinghouse living room, I smirk at the poor, unconscious, biker boy laid out on the couch.

Don't worry, he's not dead—just knocked out. Couldn't have him snitching that I lit my house on fire, especially since he lent me his lighter for the spell. What a sweetheart, he didn't need to remember this. And just my luck, sweet little Oliver is a drifter, and an alcoholic, so he won't panic too much when he completely forgets today.

As you can see by the lack of important people present, my entrance was not as grand as I had hoped it would be, but I decided that it would be even better to wait here and surprise the main supernaturals in town. Also, odds were that Bons would come here first after hearing about the house, so it was a pretty perfect plan that also assisted me with the never ending twist of my stomach from all the magic inside me.

Spinning over to the jukebox, and very happy at how the high slit dress makes my right leg look, I quickly scroll the choices. Smiling fondly, I see 'Enjoy the Silence' by Anberlin, and I remember Damon.

Oh, _Damon_. The wildcard, the '_evil_' brother, the bad boy. Also wears aprons that say 'Kiss the Cook' and loves to drink a strong cup of black coffee every morning.

My fingers trail the glass above the title, remembering the happy times of us dancing together on the banister, drunk, and half-naked, and reckless. I quickly press the small black button to select it, already swaying my hips as the first few chords ring out. God, music is great. Swaying and rocking as I breeze along the hard wood, I accidentally hip bump a side table, but grin as soon as I spot what's on it.

_Alcohol._

Not one for subtlety, I take an entire decanter of the slushing amber liquid and take a long, fiery gulp, wincing slightly at the taste as I pull away. I continue to dance in the living room, spinning around and circling my hips in my 'kinda pretty, mostly sexy' dress like no one's watching since no one's watching.

This gets old pretty quickly, however, my brain getting overwhelmed by the sensation of spinning and moving and _breathing_. What an odd sensation in the chest it is when you have to actually focus to get air into both of your lungs. The bottle starts to feel heavy in my hand, and I gently set the glass container down on the drink stand yet again, pausing briefly when I see a quality envelope sitting primly besides another bottle.

Grabbing it, I can tell just by the weight of this envelope that this thing is quality parchment, and there's something inside. Pulling open the envelope I find a nicely folded invitation, adorned with embellishments and fancy fonts.

——

_Klaus Mikaelson_

_Cordially invites the Salvatores and friends to a dinner tomorrow evening._

_Let's have a chat._

——

Goddammit. Klaus is already _fucking_ here.

I'm gonna kill Grams. Once I actually find her, anyway.

My eyes narrow on the words; Klaus sounds like he's vaguely threatening, and I couldn't help but wonder how badly my friends have fucked this up. Rolling my eyes at how stupid they could be sometimes, I flip the invite over revealing a date and address that I don't recognize, and I briefly wonder if this is what it's like to come out of a coma.

Which brought up another issue that I was finding: I can't remember _anything_.

No memories of the Other Side whatsoever, and it's nearly nerve-wrecking that I feel like I just passed out and woke up the next day when it's actually been a month. Was I ever even _on_ the Other Side? Did a witch fuck with my head? Was I compromised? And what the fuck was wrong with Grams' eyes back then?

An involuntary shiver runs down my spine at the remembrance of how _creepy _she looked when I saw her last.

Why did she call me an 'abomination'?

_Do you think she was possessed?_ Lettie asks, seemingly nervous to do so.

Personally, I don't know if I care, Lettie.

I know that sounds bad, and I completely agree that it's probably not a healthy mindset, but as it stands right now, that woman plunged a knife in my fucking intestines, so I don't feel like I owe it to her to assume she was innocent.

_Guilty until proven innocent,_ Dahlia quotes, and I raise an eyebrow at who she could possibly be quoting.

Wait, no time for that.

This dinner has apparently started about ten minutes ago, and I could bet money that they were going to get in trouble. Groaning, I grab my heels from beside the left couch, whispering a quick, "_Siednè_," to keep sweet Tony asleep until I come back and deal with him. Throwing the pair over my shoulder, I swipe the keys from the boy's leather jacket, quickly hopping into his motorcycle.

Well, I've never driven a motorcycle, but hopefully what I saw Tony do would be effective enough.

And hopefully, Klaus wouldn't have his hybrids yet. I have the magic to deal with that, now that I'm full of the stuff for some reason, but I just pulled a Jesus.

I'm _tired._

_*_

Standing a bit of a distance away from the manor, or at least about as far as Damon drove us from his house so Stefan couldn't hear, I realize that this address was for that foreclosure that we were taken to.

_Huh,_ Dahlia hums, _well, at least we're doing this in familiar territory. How are you going to do this?_

Well, I'm thinking the ol' fashioned dramatic entrance in the middle of their dinner should be fine, but—

My thought cuts off when I feel an intense sense of _hurry_ roll down my spine. My intuition was screaming at me that something was about to go horribly wrong. Taking a sharp inhale at the strange sensation, my eyes snap to the house when I sense magic swirling inside tumultuously.

_Bons_.

I see her in my mind clear as day, olive green eyes and sweet smile. My _baby sister._ The sweeping feeling of my juiced-up magic overwhelms me for the first time in 7 years, and I feel myself dissipating slowly, almost becoming a part of the wind. Then, I can feel _everything._

The Himalayan mountains, a woman blowing on her microwave dinner in Minneapolis, a plane flying over the Atlantic. It was almost as if my consciousness itself had merged with the wind, and everything was a haze until I finally sensed Bons inside. Time is frozen, Bonnie's eyes wide with fear and shock as a vampire launches himself at her, lunging at her throat.

I can see the man hovering in the midair, and somehow I have a physical being again. It's so strange, I can sense other people _wherever_ this is, but everything else is cloaked in darkness outside of the vamp and her. I step in front of her, opening my palm to take the brunt of the hit as time shifts from a complete stop, slowly transitioning back into the normal tempo of time. As everything starts to move once again, the darkness retreats, revealing a very nice dining room filled with the supernatural.

My assumed crew is all present: Caroline, Damon, Stefan, Elena, Katherine, and Elijah. Not focusing too much on them for now, mostly because now is not a good time to grieve my own death, I spot Klaus at the head of the table.

He's just as pretty as in the first timeline, and I do not in anyway blame Caroline for being swayed his way sometimes. I'm sure a lot of women would love to be swayed by that British accent, stormy blue eyes, and those _adorable_ blond curls, she should count herself lucky.

Now, here's the insane part: _Kol Mikaelson_ is here.

Dark, wicked eyes and a devilish grin to match, the man is devastatingly handsome and clearly fifty shades of coo coo for Cocoa Puffs.

It's always the cutest ones that are really fucking nuts.

He appears just as amused as his brother that my sister is about to be murdered by this nobody vamp. Speaking of the vamp, time is almost back to normal as his body continues to slowly climb the arch to murdering my sister, and I see his eyes widen in shock at seeing me in front of Bons.

_Okay, Alessia,_ Lettie warns in my mind as the vamp gets closer, to where he's almost a foot away from my outstretched palm. _Your magic is still really strong, so, you need to be caref-_

The sudden blast of magic from my hand not only hits the vamp, it _crushes_ him up against the nearest wall, blood splattering all over it. This not only created a lot of noise and dust, but it also included a sizeable dent in the wall as time finally came back to its regular pacing.

A chorus of gasps and a girly scream ring out from around the room, but I don't look at the others, just continue to look at the blood and muscle and bone running down the wall.

_"Whoops,"_ I say unintentionally, blinking in surprise that human bodies can even _look_ like that when you hit them hard enough. He looks like a fucking modern painting.

A small part of me is concerned that I don't seem to care that I've murdered someone _this_ violently, but I can't seem to care about that either. Odd.

Everyone is blinking up at me like I'm an apparition, like I shouldn't be there.

"Oh," I quickly say, and the pair of brothers look at me even more shocked and confused as to why the hell '_Dahlia' _is here.

"That was an accident, my bad," I sheepishly apologize with a shrug of my shoulders, "And don't worry about them. They're freaking out because I _was_ dead. No biggie. _But,_ I'm gonna advise against you touching my sister again," I add nonchalantly, my eyes narrowing dangerously towards the end, "I'd _hate_ to give a repeat performance of Pollock over there, but I'm open to it if necessary."

"What trickery is this, Elijah?" Klaus growls out, thinly veiled fury glowing bright in his eyes. "This is _low_, especially for you."

A stunned Elijah blinks at me once, then twice, not looking away from my form as he answers, "This is no deception of mine, brother. I could ask you both that same very question."

Rolling my eyes, I put a hand on my hip. "Not a trick," I sigh, glancing over at Klaus and Kol first to quickly make intros, "Alessia Bennett, reincarnation of Dahlia. Nice to meetcha," then, I turn back to Elijah, "And considering I broke out of my own _grave_ tonight, I'm gonna say this isn't a deception. Now, I need to borrow my sister and my friend if you'll excuse us."

I reach behind me not looking, quickly finding Bons' fingers with mine before I reach over the table grabbing Caroline's hand, also not really looking at her. I know the _second_ I look at their faces, I'll be distracted, and the most important thing is to get the people I care about out of here, find out what the _fuck_ happened while I was gone, and fix it.

Focusing as quickly as witch-ily possible when the Mikaelson brothers all stand, I picture us three disappearing into the wind and expanding once again. We vanish presumably, because that sensation of omnipresence is felt again in my chest before melting completely into the visage of the Salvatore boardinghouse's living room.

All it takes is a blink and suddenly we're all physical again, holding hands in their living room. Letting out a quiet laugh as adrenaline pumps through my veins, I can't believe how strong I am right now. Whatever brought this on was more than welcome to stay if it meant I always felt like this.

Hearing a stifled sob besides me, I remember that I've just actually appeared via teleportation in front of people who thought I was dead for like a month.

That might've been a _bit_ classless of me.

Slowly turning to my left, I put on a sheepish smile in front of my crying little sister, who's looking at me like I'm a hallucination.

Tears streaming down her bronzed cheeks, I see Bons' jaw tighten momentarily as she looks at me. "Lessy?" She whispers, and I give her a small nod. She starts running her hands through her hair, voice shaky, "I-I... _How_ is this h-happening, Lessy? What happened to you in the first place?! You were _gone_. I _saw_ you. I _buried_ you. How are you here right now? And how did you just _teleport_ us?"

Reaching for her, I understand when she takes a small step back, still suspicious of my identity. I think hard for a memory that only I would know, to help reassure her that I'm not some weird loopholed trick.

"Uh... When you were 13 and I was 14, I was bored and playing with one of Grams' lighters," I see recognition flare up in her eyes, shock returning slowly. "I was burning strands of my hair because they would puff up when I did, but I accidentally caught your baby blanket that was under the TV on fire. Grams was knocked out on the couch behind me, and I put out the fire and ran to you, asking where I should hide it. And you told me to hide it in Grams' lingerie drawer since she never opened it anyway."

Hearing Caroline choke on a watery laugh behind me, I turn to face my favorite blonde hurricane.

"Hey, chica. How's my unofficial sister?" I ask quietly, and she lets out another watery laugh as tears roll down her pretty, rosy cheeks, quickly rushing me and squeezing me tightly.

"I don't _care_ why you're here, Aless," she sobs into my neck, squeezing me nearly to death, but I just rub her back soothingly as I hug her tightly back. "I'm just _so_ glad to see you. I missed you _so_ much."

She continues to cry in my shoulder, and I turn to glance at Bons, finding her trying her best not to breakdown and looking awful guilty for some reason. Her lips are drawn tight, her fists clenched, and I mentally promise myself to make Grams' death all the more painful for separating us at all.

Raising my only free arm, I offer it to her to join in on a little group hug action. I can see her struggle with herself for a moment, debating, before she rushes over to complete our triad. Feeling their arms around me is so soothing, and I'm just so relieved to have my favorites back with me.

They continue to cry for ten or so minutes as I console them, when Caroline looks up curiously at me with her tear-stained cornflower blues.

"_Geez,_ Aless. I know you're a rock, but you can say you missed us _too_, you know?" She suggests semi-jokingly, clearly a bit concerned at my lack of a reaction. Bonnie's head slowly raises from Caroline's now-wet shoulder, glancing up at me suspiciously.

"Lessy," she starts, and I don't know what they're going on about. "What the hell was with making that vampire into a wall smoothie? Where'd you get that kind of magic?"

Shrugging nonchalantly since I had no clue, I feel like my mouth is dry so I walk over and pour myself some bourbon into a glass for myself. I feel both of their concerned gazes follow me as I down my drink.

"Are you feeling okay, Aless?" Caroline asks slowly, like she's trying not to piss me off.

Downing the two shots and refilling the glass before I answer, I look back at them with an insincere smile. "I'm feeling better than I have since _ever_. Not every day your grandma kills you and you wake up in a coffin a month later."

"_What?_" Bons snaps immediately, eyes wide and completely shocked into horror at what I've just said. She looks like she's going to be sick. "Lessy, you.. you were killed by werewolves, not Grams."

_No one must've found out who actually killed us,_ Dahlia supplies, and nod slightly at her logic.

Now I'm _also _a little pissed that my murder wasn't avenged, either. I was slowly but surely becoming a near-exploding, suppressed volcano of rage.

Oh god, I'm becoming _Tyler._

Taking a large gulp of my drink as my anger grows, I can't say I'm surprised that Grams covered it up. Whether or not she was possessed, she must've realized this was a death certificate if the others found out what she had done to me. Damon at _least _would've killed her for me, I think.

"Nope. _That's_ a lie. But, I won't say that I don't wish that was the case."

Bonnie's gaze grows sharp at my indifference, stiffening her shoulders angrily. "What the _hell_ is wrong with you, Lessy? Do you think your death was a joke?"

Rolling my eyes at how much of a buzzkill she's being, I finish off the glass with a smack of my lips.

"Of course not. Why do you think I burned the house down? Speaking of which, have you seen Grams anywhere? I'm still pretty pissed, if I'm honest."

Caroline gasps and Bons' mouth drops open in shock, and I'm not understanding the problem.

"Alessia," Caroline starts, approaching me slowly like I'm a dangerous animal, "Please say that you're playing a mean joke right now."

The dark hate that has been swirling inside of me all day spikes violently in irritation, making me accidentally crush the glass in my hand, the glass burying itself deep in my skin. _Are they taking Grams' side?_ Why is my brain responding like this? I don't even feel the shards of glass as they're pushed out by my magic, healing the skin after as I just give Care Bear a blasé look.

"I would _never_ joke about this. The woman gutted me like a pig with the kitchen knife I got her last Christmas, so sorry if my initial reaction was a _little_ violent."

Their eyes are now extremely worried, and even I start thinking about it. I don't feel _normal._

I feel an _all-consuming_ hatred, I feel apathetic, I feel content with my group, and that's all. Well, outside of feeling like my magic is about to explode out of my skin. How strange. I'm not even worried about _coming_ to this realization.

_Well, this can't be good for us,_ Lettie unhelpfully adds.

Something must've gone _horribly_ wrong when I died.

*

**_A/n: Yikes. What do you all think is happening?_**

**_Thank you all so much for reading my stories and commenting, and I hope you've enjoyed the latest chapter. Buckle up because things are about to get crazy!_**

*


	30. Twenty Seven (RE-UPLOAD)

**_*_**

Edit: Sorry guys, FF is being dumb with notifications and links lately, so here's the re-upload! Please let me know if it works?

**_A/n: Hi Guys! I personally apologize for that cliffhanger; I know it wasn't nice but the temptation was too strong haha. But! To make it up to you, here's a new chapter full of drama out super fast, so buckle up, people._**

*****

**Induraturize: **_def. _to make one's own heart hardened or resistant to someone's pleas or advances, or to the idea of love

Chapter 27: Who's Ready For A Revival?

What is up my lovelies? Have you been well? Having _fun_?

Because, I sure as hell am not.

Blinking, I realize that either everything is super dark, or I've gone blind. Did that old bat you call 'Grams' carve out your eyes?!?! Lettie exclaims from the deepest parts of my mind. Thank god, she's here still. I couldn't get through this alone.

Oh yeah.

_Grams_.

She tried to kill me.

It comes back in flashes, brief pictures of murder, blood, and pain all starring my innards. A painful twisting of regret and rage fill my stomach at the mention of her. Cold-blooded murder. By my own family member? Who I put on my Fantastic Four list? Thank heavens we did that linking spell or I'd actually be a goner.

_We'll have to pay her a visit,_ Dahlia says coolly, neither passionate nor menacing.

Nodding, I grimace as I try to wiggle around but realize that my arms and legs are firmly placed, encased in velvet felt. Panicking, I start wriggling much more, feeling my strength rejuvenate as I run my hands along the sides of the prison I'm in, urgently pressing for some sort of out button.

Am I in a fucking _coffin?_ Jesus, Bons. You knew I was coming back.

And that very moment is when I feel it.

Tracing my hand against one of the walls, I feel something fall out of a knick in the velvet. Stretching my arm further down, chest pressing hard against the velvet in front of me, I feel soil. My magic snaps back inside me, making me feel like electricity struck my hand, extending in and around me, deep into the soil, and there's a heady thrum from the Earth, calling out to me like a siren's song.

Oh, _yeah_.

This magical strength is unlike anything I've ever felt, wiring me deep into the magic of Mama Nature, and healing me. My full strength returning, I glare hard at the hard, unforgiving wall of velvet, not saying a word as I test out my own strength. The wall is blasted off with such force that it makes even me startle a bit.

The dirt pouring in doesn't bury me at all like I prepared for, instead, gently caressing me as it slowly lifts me into the light of day. Jesus Christ, why is the sunset so _bright_?

My eyes slowly adjust to the light, eventually greeted to the beautiful, sweet sound of birds chirping and a bright sunset shining on my face, shimmering hues of orange and pink igniting the sky, and I can't help but smile in relief. Wiping my face, I realize that not only are my cheeks racing with tears down my face, but there's lipstick on my hand.

_Aw, they dressed us up for our funeral, how sweet,_ Dahlia chimes in, clearly chipper that the body holding her consciousness is alive and well.

Our funeral. _Ugh_. I take a deep inhale of that fresh air, slowly sitting up from the dirt and finding myself in the very familiar Mystic Falls cemetery. Glancing around, I see that it's barely winter; a light frost coating every blade of grass.

_Good._ Lettie hums, thoughtfully, before speaking again. _That means most likely we've only been gone a short period of time._

Outstanding. My legs are finally ready to walk, and I wobbly stand on the very high heels in the grass. Glancing down allows me to see my death outfit, and I have to say, I'm okay with it, but I expected a bit better.

I stand in a high-slit, square neck, plum mididress, and even though it's clearly a little dusty, it's still somewhat suitable for walking around in public which I'm grateful for. Hearing a twig break somewhere behind me, I quickly spin around, only to be greeted by appearance of a cute guy in a biker jacket.

His eyes are wide and uncomplicated as he looks at me, every thought clearly visible on his face, plain for me to read. He's nervous, he's suspicious, and judging by the way he looks me up and down, either I look way hotter in this dress than I thought, or I have something on my face.

I almost forgot that normal people are very easy to read; not everyone had secrets to hide every second of every day. It makes them seem.. well, he's a rather pale comparison compared to the simmering man meat that has slowly trailed into this town as of late. And I do mean quality and quantity. If Klaus and his family were awake and in town, that opened my options even further.

The guy finally offers me a bit of a smile, approaching closer. "You alright? Do you need a ride?" He asks kindly, and I feel a polite smile work up my face at his generosity.

"Actually, yes, thank you!" I reply, my voice hoarse from lack of use, but altogether more chipper than I actually feel.

Don't get me wrong, I'm more than happy to be alive and breathing. However, I can't seem to find it in myself to be grateful; the endless, dark sense of absolute betrayal twisting inside me consistently since I've awoken is a bit distracting. I can't find it in myself to feel very merciful, either, for that matter.

My smile tightens slightly, but I know it's the only outward sign that I'm feeling a little more than my daily dose of fury and absolute heartbreak. The boy—Tony, I think, gestures towards his waiting motorcycle, and I can't help the smirk that works it's way on my face.

I want _justice_. I want _liberation_. I want _vengeance_.

And so, I know exactly where to go first. "Would you mind running me by Oliver Street? I need to go home," I add, and he nods once again, bobbing his head like a water toy.

_Lovely._

*

"Breaking news! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you're seeing it here, first, tonight. I'm Walter Scabber, your local reporter, and we're taking you live to 1422 Oliver Street where an inferno has consumed the house of Sheila—click!"

I had been gone for over a month.

Rolling my eyes, I turn off the TV, not super happy with how the news reporter is telling the tale, but oh well. I wonder if I have a fascination with arson, because it almost feels like my burning one down has been something I've threatened since the beginning of this mess. Turning to face the empty boardinghouse living room, I smirk at the poor, unconscious, biker boy laid out on the couch.

Don't worry, he's not dead—just knocked out. Couldn't have him snitching that I lit my house on fire, especially since he lent me his lighter for the spell. What a sweetheart, he didn't need to remember this. And just my luck, sweet little Oliver is a drifter, and an alcoholic, so he won't panic too much when he completely forgets today.

As you can see by the lack of important people present, my entrance was not as grand as I had hoped it would be, but I decided that it would be even better to wait here and surprise the main supernaturals in town. Also, odds were that Bons would come here first after hearing about the house, so it was a pretty perfect plan that also assisted me with the never ending twist of my stomach from all the magic inside me.

Spinning over to the jukebox, and very happy at how the high slit dress makes my right leg look, I quickly scroll the choices. Smiling fondly, I see 'Enjoy the Silence' by Anberlin, and I remember Damon.

Oh, _Damon_. The wildcard, the '_evil_' brother, the bad boy. Also wears aprons that say 'Kiss the Cook' and loves to drink a strong cup of black coffee every morning.

My fingers trail the glass above the title, remembering the happy times of us dancing together on the banister, drunk, and half-naked, and reckless. I quickly press the small black button to select it, already swaying my hips as the first few chords ring out. God, music is great. Swaying and rocking as I breeze along the hard wood, I accidentally hip bump a side table, but grin as soon as I spot what's on it.

_Alcohol._

Not one for subtlety, I take an entire decanter of the slushing amber liquid and take a long, fiery gulp, wincing slightly at the taste as I pull away. I continue to dance in the living room, spinning around and circling my hips in my 'kinda pretty, mostly sexy' dress like no one's watching since no one's watching.

This gets old pretty quickly, however, my brain getting overwhelmed by the sensation of spinning and moving and _breathing_. What an odd sensation in the chest it is when you have to actually focus to get air into both of your lungs. The bottle starts to feel heavy in my hand, and I gently set the glass container down on the drink stand yet again, pausing briefly when I see a quality envelope sitting primly besides another bottle.

Grabbing it, I can tell just by the weight of this envelope that this thing is quality parchment, and there's something inside. Pulling open the envelope I find a nicely folded invitation, adorned with embellishments and fancy fonts.

——

_Klaus Mikaelson_

_Cordially invites the Salvatores and friends to a dinner tomorrow evening._

_Let's have a chat._

——

Goddammit. Klaus is already _fucking_ here.

I'm gonna kill Grams. Once I actually find her, anyway.

My eyes narrow on the words; Klaus sounds like he's vaguely threatening, and I couldn't help but wonder how badly my friends have fucked this up. Rolling my eyes at how stupid they could be sometimes, I flip the invite over revealing a date and address that I don't recognize, and I briefly wonder if this is what it's like to come out of a coma.

Which brought up another issue that I was finding: I can't remember _anything_.

No memories of the Other Side whatsoever, and it's nearly nerve-wrecking that I feel like I just passed out and woke up the next day when it's actually been a month. Was I ever even _on_ the Other Side? Did a witch fuck with my head? Was I compromised? And what the fuck was wrong with Grams' eyes back then?

An involuntary shiver runs down my spine at the remembrance of how _creepy _she looked when I saw her last.

Why did she call me an 'abomination'?

_Do you think she was possessed?_ Lettie asks, seemingly nervous to do so.

Personally, I don't know if I care, Lettie.

I know that sounds bad, and I completely agree that it's probably not a healthy mindset, but as it stands right now, that woman plunged a knife in my fucking intestines, so I don't feel like I owe it to her to assume she was innocent.

_Guilty until proven innocent,_ Dahlia quotes, and I raise an eyebrow at who she could possibly be quoting.

Wait, no time for that.

This dinner has apparently started about ten minutes ago, and I could bet money that they were going to get in trouble. Groaning, I grab my heels from beside the left couch, whispering a quick, "_Siednè_," to keep sweet Tony asleep until I come back and deal with him. Throwing the pair over my shoulder, I swipe the keys from the boy's leather jacket, quickly hopping into his motorcycle.

Well, I've never driven a motorcycle, but hopefully what I saw Tony do would be effective enough.

And hopefully, Klaus wouldn't have his hybrids yet. I have the magic to deal with that, now that I'm full of the stuff for some reason, but I just pulled a Jesus.

I'm _tired._

_*_

Standing a bit of a distance away from the manor, or at least about as far as Damon drove us from his house so Stefan couldn't hear, I realize that this address was for that foreclosure that we were taken to.

_Huh,_ Dahlia hums, _well, at least we're doing this in familiar territory. How are you going to do this?_

Well, I'm thinking the ol' fashioned dramatic entrance in the middle of their dinner should be fine, but—

My thought cuts off when I feel an intense sense of _hurry_ roll down my spine. My intuition was screaming at me that something was about to go horribly wrong. Taking a sharp inhale at the strange sensation, my eyes snap to the house when I sense magic swirling inside tumultuously.

_Bons_.

I see her in my mind clear as day, olive green eyes and sweet smile. My _baby sister._ The sweeping feeling of my juiced-up magic overwhelms me for the first time in 7 years, and I feel myself dissipating slowly, almost becoming a part of the wind. Then, I can feel _everything._

The Himalayan mountains, a woman blowing on her microwave dinner in Minneapolis, a plane flying over the Atlantic. It was almost as if my consciousness itself had merged with the wind, and everything was a haze until I finally sensed Bons inside. Time is frozen, Bonnie's eyes wide with fear and shock as a vampire launches himself at her, lunging at her throat.

I can see the man hovering in the midair, and somehow I have a physical being again. It's so strange, I can sense other people _wherever_ this is, but everything else is cloaked in darkness outside of the vamp and her. I step in front of her, opening my palm to take the brunt of the hit as time shifts from a complete stop, slowly transitioning back into the normal tempo of time. As everything starts to move once again, the darkness retreats, revealing a very nice dining room filled with the supernatural.

My assumed crew is all present: Caroline, Damon, Stefan, Elena, Katherine, and Elijah. Not focusing too much on them for now, mostly because now is not a good time to grieve my own death, I spot Klaus at the head of the table.

He's just as pretty as in the first timeline, and I do not in anyway blame Caroline for being swayed his way sometimes. I'm sure a lot of women would love to be swayed by that British accent, stormy blue eyes, and those _adorable_ blond curls, she should count herself lucky.

Now, here's the insane part: _Kol Mikaelson_ is here.

Dark, wicked eyes and a devilish grin to match, the man is _devastatingly_ handsome and clearly fifty shades of coo coo for Cocoa Puffs.

It's always the cutest ones that are _really _fucking nuts.

He appears just as amused as his brother that my sister is about to be murdered by this nobody vamp. Speaking of the vamp, time is almost back to normal as his body continues to slowly climb the arch to murdering my sister, and I see his eyes widen in shock at seeing me in front of Bons.

_Okay, Alessia,_ Lettie warns in my mind as the vamp gets closer, to where he's almost a foot away from my outstretched palm. _Your magic is still really strong, so, you need to be caref-_

The sudden blast of magic from my hand not only hits the vamp, it _crushes_ him up against the nearest wall, blood splattering all over it. This not only created a lot of noise and dust, but it also included a sizeable dent in the wall as time finally came back to its regular pacing.

A chorus of gasps and a girly scream ring out from around the room, but I don't look at the others, just continue to look at the blood and muscle and bone running down the wall.

_"Whoops,"_ I say unintentionally, blinking in surprise that human bodies can even _look_ like that when you hit them hard enough. He looks like a fucking modern painting.

A small part of me is concerned that I don't seem to care that I've murdered someone _this_ violently, but I can't seem to care about that either. Odd.

Everyone is blinking up at me like I'm an apparition, like I shouldn't be there.

"Oh," I quickly say, and the pair of brothers look at me even more shocked and confused as to why the hell '_Dahlia' _is here.

"That was an accident, my bad," I sheepishly apologize with a shrug of my shoulders, "And don't worry about them. They're freaking out because I _was_ dead. No biggie. _But,_ I'm gonna advise against you touching my sister again," I add nonchalantly, my eyes narrowing dangerously towards the end, "I'd _hate_ to give a repeat performance of Pollock over there, but I'm open to it if necessary."

"What trickery is this, Elijah?" Klaus growls out, thinly veiled fury glowing bright in his eyes. "This is _low_, especially for you."

A stunned Elijah blinks at me once, then twice, not looking away from my form as he answers, "This is no deception of mine, brother. I could ask you both that same very question."

Rolling my eyes, I put a hand on my hip. "Not a trick," I sigh, glancing over at Klaus and Kol first to quickly make intros, "Alessia Bennett, reincarnation of Dahlia. Nice to meetcha," then, I turn back to Elijah, "And considering I broke out of my own _grave_ tonight, I'm gonna say this isn't a deception. Now, I need to borrow my sister and my friend if you'll excuse us."

I reach behind me not looking, quickly finding Bons' fingers with mine before I reach over the table grabbing Caroline's hand, also not really looking at her. I know the _second_ I look at their faces, I'll be distracted, and the most important thing is to get the people I care about out of here, find out what the _fuck_ happened while I was gone, and fix it.

Focusing as quickly as witch-ily possible when the Mikaelson brothers all stand, I picture us three disappearing into the wind and expanding once again. We vanish presumably, because that sensation of omnipresence is felt again in my chest before melting completely into the visage of the Salvatore boardinghouse's living room.

All it takes is a blink and suddenly we're all physical again, holding hands in their living room. Letting out a quiet laugh as adrenaline pumps through my veins, I can't believe how strong I am right now. Whatever brought this on was more than welcome to stay if it meant I always felt like this.

Hearing a stifled sob besides me, I remember that I've just actually appeared via teleportation in front of people who thought I was dead for like a month.

That might've been a _bit_ classless of me.

Slowly turning to my left, I put on a sheepish smile in front of my crying little sister, who's looking at me like I'm a hallucination.

Tears streaming down her bronzed cheeks, I see Bons' jaw tighten momentarily as she looks at me. "Lessy?" She whispers, and I give her a small nod. She starts running her hands through her hair, voice shaky, "I-I... _How_ is this h-happening, Lessy? What happened to you in the first place?! You were _gone_. I _saw_ you. I _buried_ you. How are you here right now? And how did you just _teleport_ us?"

Reaching for her, I understand when she takes a small step back, still suspicious of my identity. I think hard for a memory that only I would know, to help reassure her that I'm not some weird loopholed trick.

"Uh... When you were 13 and I was 14, I was bored and playing with one of Grams' lighters," I see recognition flare up in her eyes, shock returning slowly. "I was burning strands of my hair because they would puff up when I did, but I accidentally caught your baby blanket that was under the TV on fire. Grams was knocked out on the couch behind me, and I put out the fire and ran to you, asking where I should hide it. And you told me to hide it in Grams' lingerie drawer since she never opened it anyway."

Hearing Caroline choke on a watery laugh behind me, I turn to face my favorite blonde hurricane.

"Hey, chica. How's my unofficial sister?" I ask quietly, and she lets out another watery laugh as tears roll down her pretty, rosy cheeks, quickly rushing me and squeezing me tightly.

"I don't _care_ why you're here, Aless," she sobs into my neck, squeezing me nearly to death, but I just rub her back soothingly as I hug her tightly back. "I'm just _so_ glad to see you. I missed you _so_ much."

She continues to cry in my shoulder, and I turn to glance at Bons, finding her trying her best not to breakdown and looking awful guilty for some reason. Her lips are drawn tight, her fists clenched, and I mentally promise myself to make Grams' death all the more painful for separating us at all.

Raising my only free arm, I offer it to her to join in on a little group hug action. I can see her struggle with herself for a moment, debating, before she rushes over to complete our triad. Feeling their arms around me is so soothing, and I'm just so relieved to have my favorites back with me.

They continue to cry for ten or so minutes as I console them, when Caroline looks up curiously at me with her tear-stained cornflower blues.

"_Geez,_ Aless. I know you're a rock, but you can say you missed us _too_, you know?" She suggests semi-jokingly, clearly a bit concerned at my lack of a reaction. Bonnie's head slowly raises from Caroline's now-wet shoulder, glancing up at me suspiciously.

"Lessy," she starts, and I don't know what they're going on about. "What the hell was with making that vampire into a wall smoothie? Where'd you get that kind of magic?"

Shrugging nonchalantly since I had no clue, I feel like my mouth is dry so I walk over and pour myself some bourbon into a glass for myself. I feel both of their concerned gazes follow me as I down my drink.

"Are you feeling okay, Aless?" Caroline asks slowly, like she's trying not to piss me off.

Downing the two shots and refilling the glass before I answer, I look back at them with an insincere smile. "I'm feeling better than I have since _ever_. Not every day your grandma kills you and you wake up in a coffin a month later."

"_What?_" Bons snaps immediately, eyes wide and completely shocked into horror at what I've just said. She looks like she's going to be sick. "Lessy, you.. you were killed by werewolves, not Grams."

_No one must've found out who actually killed us,_ Dahlia supplies, and nod slightly at her logic.

Now I'm _also _a little pissed that my murder wasn't avenged, either. I was slowly but surely becoming a near-exploding, suppressed volcano of rage.

Oh god, I'm becoming _Tyler._

Taking a large gulp of my drink as my anger grows, I can't say I'm surprised that Grams covered it up. Whether or not she was possessed, she must've realized this was a death certificate if the others found out what she had done to me. Damon at _least _would've killed her for me, I think.

"Nope. _That's_ a lie. But, I won't say that I don't wish that was the case."

Bonnie's gaze grows sharp at my indifference, stiffening her shoulders angrily. "What the _hell_ is wrong with you, Lessy? Do you think your death was a joke?"

Rolling my eyes at how much of a buzzkill she's being, I finish off the glass with a smack of my lips.

"Of course not. Why do you think I burned the house down? Speaking of which, have you seen Grams anywhere? I'm still pretty pissed, if I'm honest."

Caroline gasps and Bons' mouth drops open in shock, and I'm not understanding the problem.

"Alessia," Caroline starts, approaching me slowly like I'm a dangerous animal, "Please say that you're playing a mean joke right now."

The dark hate that has been swirling inside of me all day spikes violently in irritation, making me accidentally crush the glass in my hand, the glass burying itself deep in my skin. _Are they taking Grams' side?_ Why is my brain responding like this? I don't even feel the shards of glass as they're pushed out by my magic, healing the skin after as I just give Care Bear a blasé look.

"I would _never_ joke about this. The woman gutted me like a pig with the kitchen knife I got her last Christmas, so sorry if my initial reaction was a _little_ violent."

Their eyes are now extremely worried, and even I start thinking about it. I don't feel _normal._

I feel an _all-consuming_ hatred, I feel apathetic, I feel content with my group, and that's all. Well, outside of feeling like my magic is about to explode out of my skin. How strange. I'm not even worried about _coming_ to this realization.

_Well, this can't be good for us,_ Lettie unhelpfully adds.

Something must've gone _horribly_ wrong when I died.

*

**_A/n: Yikes. What do you all think is happening?_**

**_Thank you all so much for reading my stories and commenting, and I hope you've enjoyed the latest chapter. Buckle up because things are about to get crazy!_**

*


	31. Twenty Eight

**—**

**Ya'aburnee: **_def._ the hope to die before your loved ones do because it is too painful to say goodbye to them

—

Chapter 28: Comfortably Numb.

"Alessia, you need to tell us _exactly _what happened to you. We can't fix whatever's wrong with you if we don't know," Bons says lowly, clearly not trying to piss me off any further as she slowly approaches me once again.

Nodding, I start to think about everything that happened. A swirl of bile hits my throat at the remembrance of coughing up all of that blood, at the remembrance of the pain. At the remembrance of _Grams_. Looking up at Bons with what I hope is a shred of seriousness, I sigh, brushing the remaining glass off of my bloodied palms.

"When we went home with Grams, we all went to bed after. Me and you said goodnight, and went to our rooms for the evening," I don't know if Bons knows that she does, but she winces when I bring up right before my death.

"I woke up in the middle of the night in excruciating pain," I continue, clenching my still-bloody hands at the memory, "I tried to scream.. but all there was was more blood to choke on." Both Bons and Care are both crying again, looking at me absolutely horrified; but, they wanted the truth, so I'm giving it to them.

"I was absolutely terrified, thinking about you, thinking about Grams. And that's when I finally could see well enough to spot who was rearranging my guts with a steak knife— said old _bitch_. After that— no clue. I don't remember the afterlife."

Gritting my teeth, I swallow the pang of annoyance at mentioning , instead putting on a sort of sheepish grin, at least until I think about something. Something that makes my smile drop immediately, suspicion creeping like a mold into my gut.

"Bonnie?" I ask seriously, and she looks at me with wide olive eyes, clearly concerned about me and what I'm saying, but I can't bother with that at the moment. What I'm about to ask is much more important.

_What's wrong, Alessia? _Dahlia asks in my mind. _What has you so worked up?_

My throat is tight and dry, and I swallow, nearly sick at the thought of Bonnie's answer.

"Bonnie. I _need _you to tell me the truth, no matter what. Okay?" I request firmly, hands falling to the sides of my dress and clenching tightly. Caroline is starting to look more and more nervous, and it does nothing to calm the nausea overriding my senses.

And then, I finally bite the bullet and ask the one thing I'm most worried about at the moment.

"Bons, why was I dead for a month?" I ask quietly.

...

Absolute _silence_.

The roar of the fireplace is the only sound in the house.

It didn't make any sense to me. If Bons still had the resurrection spell that I had attached to our linking one in Emily's grimoire, I should have been out by the next full moon as long as she had all the ingredients and Caroline, ergo, two weeks ago. She had to be the witch to do it since she was the only other one tied to our link.

So _**why** was I in that grave?_

Maybe the spell was late? Yeah, that was probably it.

Bonnie's lips move, but sound doesn't come out at first, instead she does the 'guilty' waddle that she's done ever since she was a baby when she's fucked up and doesn't want to admit it.

"I-I, _Lessy," _she emphasizes, desperately wanting me to be understanding. But, I don't know if I'll be able to be understanding with how I am right now. Not even for Bons.

"You need to understand. I _wanted _to resurrect you the first time we had the chance," my little sister wrings her small brown hands nervously, "I was.. _messed up_ after you died, Lessy. I-I was the one who found your body. I had to call Damon to help me preserve your corpse somehow after Grams explained what happened with a motive spell. We put you in a freezer for two weeks while we dealt with Klaus and I tried getting everyone to work with Elijah and Katherine."

Bons takes a deep breath before continuing.

"Katherine had an idea. She wanted to trap Klaus in the tomb that she was supposed to be trapped in. We got Klaus to come for that full moon, and after we put Klaus in, we'd come and resurrect you. But.. things didn't go according to plan. Klaus found out somehow about our betrayal. He grabbed Jeremy just as we were about to seal him in, telling Elijah that their family was actually _not _at the bottom of the ocean like he thought. Elijah switched sides, helping Klaus escape, and.. Klaus _killed _Jeremy, Lessy. To prove a point, and to warn us not to try again next full moon."

_**No**,_ Dahlia gasps in my mind, completely shocked.

My eyes narrow when Bonnie pauses, several more tears rolling down her face as she looks at me apologetically. I know what she's going to say before she even says it, the hurtling sucker punch of absolute _betrayal _ripping through my already fried emotions.

_She saved Jeremy. She chose Jeremy._

Bons left me in a grave to _rot._

_Bons left me._

Blinking, I realize that a tear has rolled down my cheek, which is strange because I don't feel any sadness. In fact, I don't know why I'm acting surprised.

"I'm _so, so _sorry, Alessia. The ancestors warned me that there would be consequences, but I didn't listen. Elena was so heartbroken without him, and I knew how I felt without you, so I didn't want her to lose him forever. I thought I could just save Jeremy now and save you next full moon..," Bonnie's face is red, wet, and heartbroken, but it barely shakes me off the realization that my sister had effectively killed me as well.

Gotta love my family.

Sacrifice _everything _for them, devote your life to making their lives happy, and what do you get? A nice, warm fucking kick in the _teeth,_ that's what.

"But, I had _no magic _after, Lessy. I had to go home and _bury your corpse_ that had been in the freezer for two weeks. I thought you were _gone._"

I don't know what to think.

I don't think I'm angry though.

I don't know for sure if I feel _anything_, but I realize that I must be lying to myself, because every candle in the room and the fireplace both look like someone has sprayed gasoline directly across the open flame. Bonnie doesn't look away from me, and she looks so _hurt_ that I know the look of betrayal on my face must be something fierce. Caroline dashes between us, holding up her hands to stop us like we were about to have a girl fight.

I need to get out of here.

_We need to get out of here, _Dahlia and Lettie chime in together, just as monotonously.

"I...," I'm _speechless. _Never in this world or the next did I think that my own _sister _would put _fucking _Elena Gilbert's happiness before my life. "I need to get the _fuck _out of here before I do something I regret," I grit out, biting my cheek hard enough to draw blood as I apathetically look at my little sister before closing my eyes, thinking _hard _about the bridge. Just anywhere quiet. I feel myself dissipate as Caroline and Bonnie run at me, begging me to stay.

That's all I meant to you?

Elena Gilbert is _still_ the most important person in your world?

——

Reappearing at the half-moonlight bathed bridge, I pace the empty road, anger igniting my bowels as I fret back and forth.

The revelation of Grams' betrayal was already emotionally taxing to say the least, and frankly, it already made me want to burn the town of Mystic Falls to the ground. A deep part of me desperately wants to be rid of any memories of Grams, because if I don't remember her, then she never took advantage of me when I was vulnerable. That was _nothing _compared to the insatiable desire for consequences to be paid.

Back on the fucking carousel once again. Continuing to run in the same goddamn circles that I've ran since the moment I've been born; sacrificing everything for those I care about. What was the fucking point if they wouldn't do the same for me?

I would've let Jeremy Gilbert _rot _before I left a Bons that was depending on me in a fucking grave.

_Was Caroline involved too, do you think?_ Lettie asks quietly, pensive.

Who fucking _knows?? _Was this how Klaus felt all the time? The same constant rejection over and over, and stupid Alessia never learns. This wasn't _their _faults. It was my own.

I knew who these people were before I even dived into my insane rescue mission. I saw their entire lives without me, and I _chose _this. It was time to rectify my mistake.

_We're here with you, Alessia. Can't betray you inside your own head, _Lettie laughs, and I know that it's wrong, but I find it kind of funny, too, in a dark way. What to do now that I only could rely on the voices in my fucking head?

Why should I be the only one who has to suffer?

Alone. _Alone. **Alone. **_

In my eternal struggle to save Bonnie, I ended up _being _her. I died knee-deep in fixing Elena Gilbert's mess, and with this second chance, there was no way I was going to hesitate on doing _whatever I wanted._ Fuck the rest of them.

Damon used me as a place holder for his ex-girlfriend and an irritant for his brother, Stefan used me as an advice dispenser. Both have used me in their stupid feud. I was Caroline's self-esteem pump, ready and willing to shower her with praises whenever she needed. Tyler has me as his therapist basically, a one-person anger management class for him. Served dutifully as the only thing keeping Matt's family semi-together. And I was anything Bonnie needed me to be.

Protector. Mother. Sister. Criminal. Murderer. Anything she needed, I never hesitated. I even threw my life on the line for her best friend that I can't stand, _multiple _times. And there was my root of the problem: Elena Gilbert.

I was never going to be good enough for my sister with her around.

I could never find peace until that bitch was dead, and then the rest of these manipulative _assholes _could try and do this on their own. If they want to constantly stand in their own way, who was I to judge?

My mind **swirling**, I don't even see the car slowing to a stop on the side of the bridge.

Seeing red, I hear a man approach me. He's a large, burly, dark-haired, middle aged man.

"Hey! You okay?" He asks, but I don't look at him, still facing the waterfall as I tighten my grip on the railing, hoping he takes the hint and _leaves _before I knock his fucking _head_ off his shoulders.

"I'm fine. _Go. _Not in the mood to talk to pedos."

He doesn't take his chance to escape, stepping closer to get a better look at me in my dusty high-slit dress, his eyes wandering my form lasciviously. "Now, come on, honey. I can give you a ride home, can't I?"

The second his hand touches my arm, his head snaps back 180 degrees, and I don't even flinch. Not when it snaps, and not when his corpse hits the floor. The old Alessia just cared too much, there was nothing wrong with the 'me' now.

I was _better. _

I could finally see through the bullshit and realize that everyone I've ever cared about has used me and left me alone in the end. The common denominator? _Me. _

As my thoughts twist ever darker, I see the car and corpse levitate off of the ground out of my peripheral. I swipe my fingers towards the river and my magic responds with too much strength, hurtling the car and corpse deep into the dark waters.

I was strong now, I could fix this and move on from here.

I was my own problem. And the only way to truly fix that problem, is to have Elena Gilbert's head on a platter.

Gazing back out into the darkness, all I can do is _scream._

——

You could say that I've had a bit of a _Renaissance _of sorts. And by that, I mean that now, I didn't _care_ if it was inconvenient to everyone's stories, I went through town. There was no huge hooplah, just a lot of whispering, but I couldn't blame them.

Fun fact: that guy I killed last night was staying at the local motel for the next week, so I had a place to stay besides the ashes of my childhood home and the millionaire's playhouse that the boardinghouse encapsulated. Inside the motel room, however, was a ton of credit cards and a lot of different identities. No clue what the dude was doing, but I didn't mind using his illegal activities to my advantage.

I had been on a bit of a shopping spree with the guy's credit card, getting myself some new clothes for my new attitude. My propensity for dramatic entrances hasn't diminished with my empathy thankfully, so I wanted some good dramatic outfits to go with it.

Speaking of which, it wasn't super easy to tell if they were staring at me because I had a decent size funeral or because of what I was wearing.

Tight leather mini skirt revealing more of my shapely legs than I had seen since the dance, I strutted down Mystic Falls' Main Street, hoping to maybe spot Grams and give her a good spook before I disembowel her. Red tartan cropped tank top under a leather jacket plus some tasteful pantyhose with black pumps.

I'm sure I looked very different than my usual cute comfy, and it was on purpose. Sexy makes people intimidated, and that's exactly the reaction I wanted. Red lips pulled into a cocky smirk as I push up my cheap gas station sunglasses, I'm more than ready for today.

Okay. If no one wanted to value me while I was on their team, they could deal with me as an adversary.

And since I have lost whatever inhibitors were there in the first place, I would start big, moving continually upward till I had Elena Gilbert's corpse.

But first, I hadn't eaten in a month, so food.

Walking in, I realize that the Grill gets _awful _silent when I strut in, several gasps being heard. _Maybe all the people who went to my funeral are just in here today,_ I think with an eye roll. I don't hesitate, walking straight up to Matt's back facing the drinks on the other side of the bar and putting my pretty butt down in the stool directly across from him.

Matt turns around, spotting me in front of him nearly immediately with a jump and a drop of the glass of coke, it completely shattering and really getting everyone in the Grill's attention. Matt covers his mouth, baby blue eyes wide and confused.

"_Alessia?_ What? No. You died."

Rolling my caramel eyes, I play with one of the straws left on my place mat. "Don't be delicate about it. Not like I was there or anything," I reply boredly, "But I'm not here for a reunion, Matty. You seen my Grams anywhere?"

Shaking his blond head, completely flabbergasted, he starts bending down to clean the broken glass, shooting wide glances my way occasionally. "I haven't seen her since.. since the funeral, Aless."

He sounds nervous, like he's not supposed to be talking to me, and when his wide eyes glance behind me, I have to hold back the urge to groan in annoyance. Only one person makes Matt look like that, and it's the most annoying person it could be.

Damon Salvatore sits his handsome self in the seat besides me, face pleasant but eyes obviously sharp and filled with an emotion I couldn't recognize. Drumming my fingers on the wooden bar in irritation, I take a deep breath in through my nose to try and soothe the irritation his presence fills me with.

"Ah, Matt," I sigh, reaching over the bar and grabbing a bottle of teguila and spinning the lid off with one hand, and swishing my fingers over my head, causing the rest of the bar to stop noticing my presence as they blink and get back to their meals and conversations undisturbed. "Should've guessed you were compromised."

Matt blinks at me scared, and I hum lowly, making a mental note of the deceit.

"The _hell_ are you doing, Aly Cat?" Damon suddenly asks in a rushed whisper, blue eyes bright with anger. "You left some random dude on my couch knowing about magic. I had to compel him to forget. Oh, and I should probably mention what pisses me off most: _why the fuck did you leave us there?_"

_He's such a drama queen, _Lettie sighs in contempt. Oddly enough, my emotional state seems to be directly tied with theirs, so they were both feeling a tad bit sociopathic as well. Thank god for small blessings, otherwise I'd be stuck with a fucking Jiminy Cricket chiming into my brain waves constantly.

"_God,_ I'm glad I didn't sleep with you," I complain with a blasé tone, not even looking him in the eye. I see him stiffen in my peripheral as I continue, "You're _very _over dramatic. Even Little Loretta agrees with me."

Damon snaps in anger, gripping my shoulder tightly as he forces me to look at him right in his icy blue eyes. "I don't give two shits _what _kind of teen angst BS you're going through, _don't _talk about Lettie. That's bitchy, even for you."

I blink at him slowly, wondering if he's as stupid as he sounds before I tightly grip his hand that's holding my arm tight. Squeezing _hard, _I smirk at Damon's pain-filled face as cracks ring out from his hand, Matt looking on with fear and apprehension as the rest of the Grill takes no notice.

"'_Teen angst BS?'"_ I repeat back venomously, seeing a tiny spark of panic in his blue eyes as he realizes his vampire strength isn't getting me to let go. "Do you want to _see _what 'teen angst BS' I went through Damon? Do you want to _know _what being stabbed twenty seven times in the chest feels like?"

Clenching my hand as I picture it, Damon cries out in pain as several bloodstains start leaking through his white Varvatos shirt at an accelerated rate. But, I don't stop.

"Do you know what it felt like to see who it was? To realize that the only other family member I _have _is the one who's driving the blade in, carving up my skin, making me die on my sister who I thought needed me?"

As Damon collapses on the floor in pain, Matt silently watches on in horror, unsure of how to stop me from tearing the vampire into pieces. Continuing to glare at his writhing form, I don't even feel it when one solitary tear rolls down my cheek.

"And you know what the _worst part, Damon?_" I ask, standing up from the booth and reaching into my leather jacket for a cigarette and lighting it once it presses against my lips, the latest attempt at curbing my anger issues burning the back of my throat as my hand closes tighter, making Damon choke on his own blood.

"When I woke up in that box, I had this big idea that you all just had messed up the spell and I woke up late, you know?" I ask the gurgling Damon before suddenly cutting off my magic from assaulting him. Looking at him deep in his pain-filled blue eyes, Damon Salvatore looks at me like it's the first time he's ever felt regret in his life as I continue, "I had no idea that useless little _Jeremy Gilbert _was a more valued friend to you all than I was. I was so _worried _about making sure you _truste__d **me**. _That we could be business partners, maybe even friends."

My blank gaze hardens, basking in the slightest look of guilt on his devilishly handsome face as my fury grows to new archs of high.

"But _no._ I know who _really_ was more important to you. _Elena._ It's always been Elena and it always will be. Her happiness was more fucking important to you than our friendship. If my being furious with you all over this is me being a bitch, then _fine._ I'm the biggest _bitch of __all!" _I scream at him, unintentionally releasing a huge wave of magical energy directed everywhere besides within.

A loud ringing sound explodes from the burst, causing everyone to drop like flies in the Grill, clutching their ears in desperation to stop the ever increasing in volume frequency. Seeing Damon squirm on the floor as he grabs at his ears like they're on fire does literally nothing to quell my rage, instead wanting him to be in _more pain._

I just want _everyone to suffer._

Blinking down at him as my fury ratchets ever higher with the pitch of the sound, I see Matt desperately covering his ears, and I frown momentarily. I had no more friends, but Matt didn't deserve my punishment. I'm about to call off the sudden wave, or at least attempt to fight it off, when I feel someone's grip on my ankle.

Damon looks up at me with big, beautiful cold blue eyes clearly begging for mercy, but my bloodlust-addled brain just wants _more suffering. _Opening my mouth at the overwhelming feeling of my magic controlling me rather than the other way around, I do the only thing that I want to keep doing until I drop dead from exhaustion.

I _scream._

Every glass on every table, every pair of reading glasses, every fucking _window _in the place explodes in a shower of shards, sounding as if a jet had broken the sound barrier in the small restaurant. Everything is covered in dust and glass, and as the rest of the townspeople slowly recover from the explosion, I look down at a nearly passed out Damon as I grab a new cigarette, old one properly decimated by the explosion.

Taking a thick drag off of the lit cancer stick as I'm hit with a wave of dizziness, I glare down at the barely-conscious Damon, face blank.

"Tell Elena I'm coming after her as soon as I'm done with Grams. After that, I'm leaving town and never seeing any of you again. I don't _really_ want to have to kill any of you," I say without much passion, feeling rather numb as I squat down to get a really good look at the bloodied, manipulative Salvatore.

"But if _any _of you try to stop me, I won't be merciful."

And with that, I walk out of the completely decimated Mystic Grill without a passing look at Matt, none of the other the civilians noticing, hearing the starting rumors of a gas leak explosion as I head back to the motel room to get a good nap in.

———————

**_A/n: Hi everyone! Hope you've enjoyed the new chapter. I wanted to announce that I won't be doing more re-uploads until FanFiction gets it together, but thanks for being patient with me!_**

**_———————_**


	32. Twenty Nine

**Sapiosexual:** _def._ one who is attracted to or aroused by intelligence in others

———

Chapter 29: This Might Have Been An Oopsie.

Do not get me wrong; I am very aware that something has changed drastically when it comes to my psyche.

Obviously.

I'm killing people for barely annoying me on the side of the road, for Christ's sake.

But, I never thought I'd wake up to this scenario.

When I had first awakened, the first thing to hit me was the pounding headache. Blinking blearily, I reached my arm up in an attempt to block whatever bright thing was waking me up so fucking early— turns out, it's the sun peeking in through with it's early morning light.

_When had I gone to bed? Where had I been?_

Everything, including knowledge of who or where I was, was just not quite in my tired brain just yet, but I knew one thing: whatever I did had involved copious amounts of alcohol.

The backs of my eyes pounding, I gently reach up and rub them achingly, feeling blindly for the edge of the blanket to escape the confines of the bed. Taking careful steps around the blurry shapes I could see on the still somewhat dark floor, I traverse the distance from the bed to the nearest door, sighing in relief when it's a bathroom, like I'd hoped. I slide into the bathroom, flipping the light switch on and turning to look at myself in the mirror.

I was a hot mess.

_Do neither of you recall anything, either? _Dahlia asks, and I slowly nod with a pinch of my nose.

Too early.

Can't think.

Reaching down to the sink, I cup my hands and fill them with cold water, quickly grabbing the bar soap besides the sink and scrubbing my smeared makeup face. It's when I'm drying my face off with the hand towel, that's when I spot it in the mirror. When I glance down and see that not only am I naked, and not only that, but I have significantly large purple hickies trailing from my neck downwards. There's a soreness in my thighs and arms that I hadn't felt till that moment, and that's when I closed my eyes and groaned. My hair is a thick, curly, bronze wad of fluffed up hair and my lips are puffy and dry. _Oh, boy._

_So, we've had an escapade it seems,_ Lettie unhelpfully adds.

No shit, Sherlock.

Well, this could be a good or a bad thing depending on who the lucky lover was, and considering the luxury status of this marble countertop bathroom, it most likely was a good thing. Maybe I had bagged a rich dude, and if I got pregnant, the rest of my life would be set in the lap of being hella rich. That's a nice new life for after this vengeance stuff.

Speaking of which, depending on who's in that bed, I might have a roadblock to killing Grams and Doppelena.

Rubbing the sides of my head, I close my eyes and try to remember what happened last night.

_I was in the motel room after my nap..._

_———_

Flashback: 10 hours ago

———

Shaking my hips along to the rhythm, I dance on top of the marble countertop of my brand new kitchen with a bottle of champagne now hand; the radio besides me blaring a Maroon Five song as I yell along in my underwear.

I had wasted my life protecting people who wouldn't protect me, so after my nap, I decided that it was time to move to a place that didn't smell like Cheez-Itz.

I had charged Damon an arm and a leg to detox his brother, and my eighteenth birthday had passed while I was decomposing, so I was well within my rights to get a cute little one bedroom rental for my stay here in Mystic Falls. Not to mention, I didn't have to deal with any contracts or background checks because I just stuffed the owner's corpse into the hall closet with a handful of spell bags to seal the smell.

After making him sign a piece of paper saying that I own the apartment, anyway. But, that wasn't the problem at hand; I had come to a conclusion as I was thinking on my revenge plot.

Revenge would have to wait.

The revelation that I had lost my eighteenth birthday bash over the fucking doppelgänger was enough to make me want to blow up another restaurant, so as I take another swig from the complimentary champagne bottle left in the kitchen, I decide it's time to _really_ show off my new digs.

I could throw Grams' heart against a wall anytime I wanted to go and get her.

I had time— why _not_ do something just for Alessia?

It'd be relatively simple to get a party together if I could get my old friend, Tyler Lockwood, to assist me— but how to do so when he thought I was dead?

Don't get me wrong, I held no love for my ex-friends, not even him, but he had everyone who was anyone's number and could get them to come over, _and_ bring drinks. Humming thoughtfully, I bend down to the radio on the countertop beside my bare feet and turn it down, hopping off the edge of the counter and landing on the hardwood with a soft thud. There was probably a spell for memory modification in one of the grimoires I swiped from Grams' house, but I forgot where I set the box with them in it.

Skipping over to my living room space, I spot the box on top of the white leather couch, promptly opening the flaps and diving in. I didn't bring all of my things from home, I had brought the essentials, but I pause briefly when I see a family album on top of the stack of spell books. The front is a picture itself, of me, Grams, and Bonnie, probably eight or nine years ago, planting tomatoes in our backyard.

Frowning momentarily at it, I toss it over my shoulder and continue to look for a grimoire that centered around the darker elements. Believe it or not, not all of us Bennett's mess around with the darker magics— just the majority's us; so, I'd have to make sure I didn't grab any of the goody-two-shoes' books. Moving a couple of the massive guidebooks out of the way, I spot my Great Aunt Maggie's grimoire and quickly grab it.

Flipping through the first few pages, I briefly remember Grams lecturing me about my Great Aunt, describing her as a witch without morals. Maybe I could slide into her role.

Whistling lowly as I flip through some of her memory spells, I find something even better than what I had been looking for. A mass potion for manipulating the memories of an entire town. Of course, it required two human sacrifices, but I bet with all of my extra magic juice pumping through my bloodstream that I'll be fine without it. It would just require some finesse.

Reading through the overview for the spell, I start categorizing ingredients in my mind when I hear a knock at the door. Raising a brow in confusion, as I hadn't actually informed anyone of my new address yet, I bend down and grab one of the stakes from my lay out of weapons on the purple fur rug.

What? We haven't unpacked everything yet.

Walking down the cool hardwood hall, I reach the front door and pull it open, surprised at who I find on the other side.

Dark, oak eyes pierce mine, widening slightly once they realize my state of dress. There, standing in his nicely fitted suit, Elijah Mikaelson looks down at me with a sharp intake of his breath as his dark eyes travel up to my face, turning to look literally anywhere else besides me when I raise my brow at him. Crossing my toned arms, I lean against the doorway with a smirk, a bit entertained at making the great Elijah Mikaelson embarrassed.

"Ah, Elijah. How can I be of service?" I ask smiling a little more when Elijah tries his very best to look me straight in the eyes and nowhere else.

"Miss Bennett. I apologize for catching you at an inopportune moment; our business can wait until your properly dressed. I'll wait here," he replies with that eloquent mouth of his, and there's something very pleasant about the motion of his lips as he speaks.

"Oh no," I say, amused smile not dropping for the first time since I crawled out of that grave. "I _am_ properly dressed. I'm having a one-woman lingerie party to celebrate my resurrection. Technically, _you're_ the one who's overdressed for the occasion, but I'll be nice and allow it. Please, come in."

Elijah shoots me a curious look, not understanding, but I step to the side anyway, gesturing for the handsome British man to come in. He crosses the threshold in even strides, clearly a man of substance judging just by his swagger, and he places a large hand in his pocket as he turns about the living room, looking around the place.

I know the moment he spots the weapons on the floor, hearing the familiar slide of metal as he pulls one of the blades from the lay-out, a butterfly knife that I received as a gift for my thirteenth birthday. Glancing from the weapons to me, I can see the curiosity in his eyes deepen as he fully looks at me from across the room, red lacy lingerie and all.

I take pity on the poor man, grabbing the large long-sleeve t-shirt I swiped from Tyler four months ago and tossing it on just as I hear a high pitch whistling from the kitchen. Elijah continues to just watch me as I pull my copper curls into a sizable ponytail, walking towards the kitchen to stop the tea before looking over my shoulder just as I reach the pot.

"Tea, Mr. Mikaelson?" I call out, already grabbing two mugs and honey from the cupboard and setting them on the counter, then reaching behind me to find the drawer with the stirring spoons.

Hearing a faint 'yes, please,' I promptly set out to pouring the honey and tea into the mugs, smiling at the pleasant earthy aroma. I place them on this adorable little silver tray that I found on top of the fridge, carrying our mugs out and finding Elijah standing in front of the fireplace, glancing out of the window before turning back to face me.

God, he's handsome.

Feeling chills as our eyes connect, I walk over to the couch and set down the tray on the audomen, gesturing for him to take a seat across from me. He acquiesces, finding his seat at the other end of the three-cushion couch as I cross my legs, my thighs poking out from under the large shirt. I see him look down briefly before snapping his dark gaze back on me, and the tension is palpable.

Grabbing my mug, I smile politely at him again, heat pooling in my stomach at the look he's giving me.

"What brings you here, Elijah? Klaus looking to put my head on a pike for Rorschach-ing his vampire minion?" I guess with an teasing arch of my brow.

Amusement dances across his almost-black eyes, him reaching in turn for his mug and taking a sip of the hot liquid within, taking an appreciative glance at the cup after swallowing, looking up at me in question.

I answer his unasked question, "I'm unsure what specific African blend it is, but it's an African tea."

Elijah nods, brushing off the answer as he eyes me seriously.

"So, how does a witch go about obtaining the power to come back from the dead and the ability to teleport?" He asks, and I can't help but laugh at the idea of such a strange question out of context.

I see the slight upwards tilt of his lips when I laugh suddenly, and I wave off his curious glance, quickly answering with, "How does a witch end up reincarnated not once, not twice, but _three_ times? And with the luck of meeting you in one of those lives? Who really knows, Elijah. I've decided to start rolling with the punches rather than ask questions, I recommend you do the same."

His thick dark brows raise slightly, "_Reincarnated? _So, you're not like the doppelgänger."

Frowning at the mention of Elena Gilbert, I mock-pout up at the righteous Original, huffing, "It's not very polite to compare two women, Elijah. One would think you're old enough to know that."

I hear a rush of breath that could be interpreted as a chuckle, and it is deep, and throaty, and _attractive_. "You make an excellent point, Miss Bennett. My apologies. But, I'm afraid I'm here for more than just tea."

"You_ don't _say?" I ask with a startling amount of sarcasm, even for me.

Elijah levels me with a look of no nonsense, and oddly enough, I feel the urge to disobey his nonverbal order just on principle. Instead, I simply smile to myself as I take another sip of my tea, noticeably drawing his curiosity at my response. He sighs lightly, the only sign that I've ruffled his feathers at all during this encounter, and yet, I find it a bit adorable, feeling the urge to keep messing with him. Does everyone feel this way? No wonder he attracted aggressive women— he was ridiculously fun to rattle. I wonder what would happen if he snapped?

_Well, we kind of know the answer to that, _Dahlia and Lettie chime in.

Don't synchronize your brain voices. It's creepy enough just having you both in here.

"I've heard rumors that you are looking for your grandmother in order to enact vengeance for your death, is this true?" Elijah asks, leaning further back against the couch but still somehow maintaining an air of authority.

Squinting my eyes at the Original, I primly set mug back on the tray, trying to see what he wanted before he even said it. "Depends why a Mikaelson is asking," I reply noncommittally, leaning forwards and resting my hands on my lap in interest.

"Your grandmother happens to have stolen something of great value from my family," he further iterates, also setting his mug down as he continues, "In particular, one of our family coffins. In any other circumstances, I would be here to see if you had any information regarding her whereabouts, but seeing as that's not the case, we would like to partner with a witch of your talent in the effort to find her."

Oh.

That stupid cow. She took off with Esther's corpse.

Wait.

Oh.

_Oh. _

Okay, this was smart. This could work out for me.

None of the location spells that I had performed in the last 24 hours had been successful in tracking the backstabbing tramp, and that was over half of the dozen total location spells that we had in our family grimoires. I might be high on magic right now, but I wasn't going to be able to stop the Original Witch _and _the entirety of my family tree without some ancient, hardcore juju.

At this rate, I was going to have to either create a new, stronger location spell that could take me a month to translate and test, or I'd have to look for help elsewhere. Turns out, Elsewhere has come to me instead.

"Okay," I decide quickly, surprising the man across from me as I stand up, moving to roll up my weapons and put them away. I'm seeing only positives with joining the Mikaelson squad.

"I'll help you out since our goals are mutual, and I'm willing to bet your family has _just_ the grimoire to do the trick. But, let me make it clear, I'm not you Mikaelson's super powered pet. I won't come clean up any of your other messes without anything in return."

Elijah moves to speak before stopping himself, looking deeply in my eyes for any sign of treachery before saying, "And it's fair to assume that you are no longer on good terms with your friends. What about Miss Bonnie?"

Shaking my head, I laugh, still slightly bitter at the whole affair.

"Bonnie Bennett is no friend of mine. We're sisters in the terms of blood, and that's all," I firmly reply, annoyance rising at the subject matter, making me want to twitch.

"Ah, yes," he calls out as I walk around the corner to put my weapons in the laundry closet instead of the hall one that was currently occupied, "I find myself in a similar mindset every fifty years or so. Siblings do tend to bring out the worst in us."

Raising a brow curiously at him opening up to me slightly, I poke my head around the corner as I continue trying to shove the now rolled up mat above the dryer. "You... know what.. happened?" I ask between shoves against the mat burrito, finally getting it in all the way on the final shove. Unfortunately for me, this knocks me off balance from the step stool I'm on.

I don't even have time to feel the sensation of stumbling when I feel a sudden grip on my arms righting me. Glancing up, I'm looking right into the umber eyes of Elijah Mikaelson, and they are _awfully_ compelling.

You couldn't tell much what the man was thinking at all, it made you want to look into him more to see what was so special. A sudden thrill runs up my spine when momentarily, only for a second at the most. I'm looking into the most predatory eyes I've ever seen; nearly _feral._

They're lovely in their own way.

Elijah seems to have taken these few seconds to really look at me as well, and I don't know if he finds what he's looking for when he releases his gentle grip from my shoulders, regaining that guarded look in his eyes.

It makes me want to see the other look again.

Wow, that champagne must be _strong. _

Taking a step back from the intimidating, attractive Original who is a physical culmination of all of my childhood trauma; I give Elijah a sheepish smile to cut through the tension, tilting my head to the side playfully.

"So that you're informed, I'm unavailable tonight," I say after a moment, throat significantly drier than it had been before.

"And why is that?" He asks, smooth British accent an octave or so lower than before, and therefore in panty-tossing territory.

No. Control yourself, hoe.

"My birthday passed while I was all dead and whatnot. I'm planning on having a do-over celebration here, tonight," I reply, stepping back towards the living room to simultaneously clean up our tea mess and get far away from the darkly handsome vampire, but his footsteps are close behind, probably hearing the spike in my heart rate.

_Well, at least now we know we can feel more than pure unprovoked fury,_ Lettie sarcastically sighs, and I almost audibly hear her eyes roll.

Oh good, it's not just me who thinks this absolute masterpiece is worthy of all the appreciation. Seriously. Could make a religion out of this shit.

_You are all exceedingly late to the club, _Dahlia sighs. _I had unrequited feelings for him back when we were young. Confessed to him and everything, but he said I was too young. Pity._

Maybe he won't make the same mistake twice?

_Let's hope not, _they both say in scandalous sync. I almost crack a smile out our mental antics. Almost.

His eyes widen briefly before a small smirk appears on his pretty face, "Perhaps I'll make an appearance then, to wish you congratulations."

The way he says it, it sounds like it might be more than _just_ congratulations, and my lips quirk up at my luck. My gaze playful, I smirk up at the verbose Mikaelson.

"Please, feel free. I'd love to party with a Mikaelson."

———

Stirring the fourth bowl of jungle juice, I dip a spoon and taste it, scowling before dumping in another bottle of vodka. Dipping again, it finally tastes like lifelong mistakes, and I know it's ready.

Tyler Lockwood walks in the room in all of his muscular glory, carrying another three cartons of soda and a large speaker on his tank-topped shoulders.

I have to say I'm enjoying the gun show.

Smiling as he walks up with the soda and setting them on the white marble countertop, he swipes the spoon from my hand, dipping it in my bowl and scowling.

"Jesus, Alessia," he groans, reaching for his glass of orange juice on the island and taking a dramatic gulp as I roll my eyes, before gasping, "You trying to kill everybody?"

Putting on a polite smile, I turn to face him with a hand on my silk covered hip.

"Maybe," I say with a noncommittal shrug of my shoulders, knowing full well that technically, I've drugged the jungle juice that we're drinking; just walking into the living room of many neon lights without thinking twice on it.

It's crazy how many witches don't use their magic as a paid-for service; really, witches would all be filthy rich if they just loosened up a little bit. And were less... Is 'racist' the word for discriminating against vampires? _Species-ist?_ Classist? Who fucking knows.

Plugging one of the other large speakers he's brought over into my laptop, I start configuring our makeshift sound system while calling over my tanned shoulder, "Hey, Ty? Did Andy pull through on some balloons and glow sticks?"

"Yeah," I hear from directly behind my shoulder, making me jump like a frightened cartoon cat.

I swat his muscular shoulder several times.

"You jackass!" I snap, angry that somehow, trace amounts of _fear _and _embarrassment _are included in my leftover package of emotions.

Attempting to console me, he puts up his hands in surrender, black eyes sparkling in amusement at my humiliation. "Hey, hey, hey, birthday girl. Don't worry, no one will ever know the _great_ Alessia Bennett was spooked by a guy behind her shoulder."

Sneering at him over my shoulder, I roll my eyes and turn back to fixing the sound system, taking a step back to check my work after a few moments. Sure, the new apartment was sparse and large, but the rainbow lights flashing everywhere paired with the neon signs that I stole from the still-wrecked Grill paired well together, making an almost club-looking space.

Dusting off my hands and sticking my hands on my hips proudly as I do a final glance around, I turn back to Tyler with a satisfied smile, "Alrighty, you know what you gotta go do?"

"Hell yeah," he replies with a cocksure nod of his dark head, smiling warmly down at me, and I feel a vague warm thrum in my chest, but that's all emotion-wise. "I'll go get everybody and let them know where to go tonight. No one's really doing anything since the Grill has that gas leak, so it'll probably be a big turn out."

Clapping my hands with a satisfied smile, I sigh, "Perfect, see you guys in an hour."

———

Exiting the bathroom and returning to the living room, I see that the majority of Tyler's invites have arrived in the ten minutes since I left.

All gathered around the alcohol and living room, the teens continue chatting and getting each other to do shots straight from the bottle. Mentally thanking my lucky stars that I decided to crank up the music early to enjoy my empty apartment before they arrived, I quickly head over to the jungle juice bowls and start pouring people the magically-drugged drinks, quickly gaining compliments on the flavor.

"Is that mango?" Football jock and relative douche bag, Felix Oberlin asks.

I just smile and don't answer, laughing along like what he says is a joke. I also see the moment the magic takes affect, his smile towards me changing from guarded to compassionate.

"It's great to see you doing okay out of the hospital, Alessia," he says with a friendly wave, moving out of the way for the next guy to get their drink. "The Spirit Squad wasn't the same without you, Bennett."

Nodding my assent, I once again appreciate my Great Aunt for concocting this when her town discovered her magical identity. Not only did it modify people's memories, it gave them compassion towards you, and the more compassion from the people you have at your back, the less likely it is that you'll burn on a stake. Proceeding to pass drinks out as quickly as possible, I continue until I'm out, shrugging when more guests arrived.

They could just think they were living in a Mandela effect.

Instead of dwelling on it, I reach behind the jungle juice bowls, firmly grabbing hold of my birthday bottle of rum from Tyler and pulling it with me through the ever-expanding crowd. Smiling at the writhing people all around me grinding to the loud pop music, I open the bottle, downing two gulps of it's contents before I'm suddenly spun around by my elbow. Blinking, my caramel eyes narrow into the forest green pair looking deeply into mine.

Yanking my elbow from his hold, I cross my arms, taking another sip of my bottle before saying, "Ah, Stefano. I see Tyler's just letting anyone in my front door."

Thick, furrowed brows furrow deeper, and the sickening amount of concern on his face increases as he stares down at me; slightly wide-eyed, like he didn't know what to do now that he had me here. I wait another moment, eyebrows raised as he tries to speak, but words continue to fail him. Rolling my eyes, I give Stefan a look that hopefully says, 'Stay out of my shit, Salvatore' before turning back to join my birthday festivities.

Adding the extra bottle of vodka had been the right call, people are already dancing and trying to get each other to do Jell-O shots in the kitchen. Everyone I pass smiles and waves at me adoringly, and I wonder if this is how the Mikaelsons used to feel in New Orleans during their lavish balls— admired? Admired.

_Yes, this is all quite lovely,_ Lettie irritably says, _but the question is: why aren't we getting wasted?_

She makes a good point.

Spotting Tyler dancing with the football players in the corner, passing around a beer bong and trying to get each other to drink more, I make my way through the jumping crowd, smiling brightly when Tyler grabs my arm and pulls me towards the group. The boys all start yelling incoherently in excitement when they see me and I laugh at the giddy feeling buzzing under my skin as they place the beer bong in my hands. Lifting the funnel, they all spur me on good-naturedly as they grab another can of beer, preparing to open it for me, but I stop them.

Putting my hand on the beer and shaking my head, the boys all groan, and I hear 'Aw, come on, 'Lessia!' amidst the whining. It immediately bounces back to good vibes though when I instead hand Tyler my birthday rum, squatting down lower and puting the end of the hose between my lips as they all cheer raucously.

Tyler whoops and hollers over the loud drone of _She Wolf_ by Shakira blaring through the speakers, and I finally feel the burn of the rum down my throat. Hearing choruses of 'chug, chug, chug!', I down several large gulps of the rum before pulling away, the guys looking at me in shock briefly before loudly cheering and passing beers around.

"Birthday girl just _killed_ her first bottle!" Tyler yells over the music, and I holler with the crowd as they cheer, clapping my hands excitedly. This has been the best idea ever. I didn't even care if my old group was here; let them see.

They can _choke_ on my good time.

Feeling a tap at my shoulder, I turn only to be greeted by the neon light-painted Stefan Salvatore. Blinking boredly, I promptly turn back towards the football team only to be turned again.

"_What,_ Stefan? I'm clearly busy," I snap, not trying to talk over the music since he had vampire hearing.

His eyes soften slightly towards me, and the amount of pity I see in those pretty eyes makes me want to rip his goddamn throat out.

"Something is _wrong_ with you, Alessia," he says lowly, leaning in my ear to speak earnestly. "Bonnie is working on something to fix this; let us help you."

Raising a brow as I take a step away from him, I'm once again reminded of the magic buzzing underneath my skin and the white-hot rage that's fueling it. Sighing primly instead of tearing out his esophagus like I want to, I spike my magic out threateningly at him, keeping him frozen as my hand slowly closes around the compressing magic. I lean forward into Stefan's ear, really wanting to get my point across, and I hear a slight shake in his breath when I do.

Hm.

"Listen to me closely, Stefan," I lowly threaten, tone sweet, but hearing the violent feral nature in my own voice loud and clear. "If you, or for that matter, _any_ of that Losers' Club do _anything_ to ruin tonight for me, I will _literally_ decapitate your girlfriend and mail you her head, mafia-style. Got that, Bunny Biter? It's my birthday. It's not about any of you, it's about _me._"

Releasing him from my magic, Stefan gasps at the sudden control he has over his own body, but I just smile at him as someone comes to his side.

Dark, wicked eyes meet my own; matching smirk dripping off of his handsome jaw. Soft brown hair is pushed off his face in an effortless sort of way, fully displaying the cocky tilt of the tall man's head. He wears a fitted black button-up shirt rolled around the elbows, and I have to say, the way it flexes over his muscular shoulders should be a science. Giving Stefan a pat on the shoulder that's anything but friendly, Kol Mikaelson's feral gaze cuts into mine deeply, making my stomach flutter at how animalistic it is.

"That's no way to treat the birthday girl, Salvatore," Kol playfully chides, eyes never leaving mine as he walks up to me, bending down and pressing a kiss to the back of my hand sensually before looking back up at me through those thick lashes.

"Allow me to show him how it's done, love. Kol Mikaelson. I can't quite express just how _excited_ I am to finally meet you, Alessia Bennett."

The feeling is mutual.

———————

**_A/n: Sorry, guys! It got too long, so I'm just gonna make the birthday party a two-parter. Hope you enjoyed! Thank you so much for all of the comments and support!_**

**_———————_**


	33. Thirty

**A/n: Hey guys! So, to let you know what's up, the links in the emails for my chapters are all sorts of fucked up and can't be used at all. If you see the notification that my story has updated, give it like thirty minutes and then go to it directly and you should be good to go! If not, wait another thirty and try again. Sorry for the hassle, but no one's responding to my emails.**

**My other books haven't been updated because I've been working on this one, but they should all have new chapters by the end of the week.**

**Also, apologizing ahead of time that this somehow became a three-parter, but be prepared for a long chapter.**

**———**

** Numinous**: _def._ describing an experience that makes you fearful, yet fascinated, awed yet attracted— the powerful, personal feeling of being overwhelmed and inspired.

———

**Chapter 30: **Baby Vengeance Isn't As Satisfying.

———

Giggling isn't my usual response to flirting—emotions on, or off— but that's how amused I feel at the Mikaelson's dramatic entrance.

Kol slowly rises from his dip down to my hand, releasing my palm with a lingering touch. It just reminds me of how big his hand had felt compared to my hand, and he smirks down at me before turning his head to raise an annoyed brow back at Stefan.

"Oh, you're still here, mate? That was a dismissal. You can go on ahead back to your doppelgänger," he says in that soothing accent spiked with malicious intent, dark eyes narrowing on the hero-haired Salvatore. Stefan turns to me, eyes emotive, as if I'm supposed to be helping him out here.

"You brought her _here?_ Are you trying to make it easier for me?" I ask, not bothering to hide that I threatened him since Kol probably knew about it via his super-hearing. It was a lie, but it go the point across.

"Alessia. _Please,"_ he pleads over the thrum of the bass; the song slowly fading into 'Suga Suga' by Baby Bash, and therefore a lot quieter. "We can fix this together."

I feel the bitter edge of murderous rage spike through me, and I'm going to guess that my magic was acting up because the colorful lights started strobing on and off, some even breaking as I was suddenly pulled back from seeing red. Kol grabbed my wrist, and I see that I was unknowingly walking towards Stefan in my anger. Raising my arm and spinning me back towards him, his large hands find purchase on my hips as he smirks down carnivorously at my fuming, but nonetheless surprised form.

"Such spirit," he comments absentmindedly, nearly-black eyes sparkling mischievously. "Would you do me the honor of teaching me how to dance in your time, Alessia? I've been rotting in a coffin for the last century, but I'm a quick learner."

Blinking up in surprise at the handsome Original, I nod when I see the painful twist of Stefan's face at seeing me in his arms. Kol's smirk twists even higher on his darkly handsome face, smugness nearly dripping off his chin as he moves me in front of him towards the dancing mass of the living room. Arm around my waist, he gives a mock-nod of respect to a now pissed Stefan, not saying a word as he steers my body further into the horde.

I see several familiar faces as we go further into the crowd; Damon's, Caroline's, and Bonnie's, to be specific. All further worsening my mood without my consent, making me even more angry. The hand on my waist tightens as we slow to a stop amongst the bright, still flashing lights. The flashing seems to have excited the drunken crowd, them all starting to pair off and dance on each other to the sensual song. Kol spins me around, dark eyes still very amused as he looks at my furrowed brow.

"Don't let the unextraordinary influence you, Alessia Bennett," he advises without prompting, and it makes me raise a brow at him, the flickering of the lights slowing until completely stopping altogether. "You're above their childish antics according to what I've heard of your feats. What a powerful little thing you are."

Fake-smiling back up at him, I fix a wrinkle on his black shirt, feeling the firm muscle under my touch and trying not to admit it gave me tingles.

"Yes, I'm powerful. So don't patronize me, Kol Mikaelson. If you're going to try to manipulate me, at least don't treat me like a puppy," I say as my eyes snap back up to his venomously.

If the Mikaelsons were going to have me working for them, they needed a good, hard slap out of the mindset that witches are batteries for their use. As it stood right now, I am the biggest unidentified threat to the Mikaelson family that ever existed, and I demand at least some sort of respect in our working relationship for that fact alone. I'm not some pet they need to coddle.

I wasn't Davina Claire, I wasn't Emily or Lucy Bennett, and I for damn sure wasn't Greta Martin.

I am Alessia Marie Bennett: one of the strongest Bennett witches to ever exist; if not one of the strongest witches to exist, in general. I wouldn't be treated like a doormat.

Kol's eyes flash with something I can't quite read, a chuckle leaving his mouth as he reaches out to pull me close to him once again. Moving my hands up around his neck, my fingers tangle into the thick, dark hair at the nape of his neck nearly without my consent, and I see his barely visible pupils expand as one of his large hands once again fit around my waist, the other moving to clasp my right hand possessively.

We move together, swaying slowly as the song plays, as his dark eyes don't leave mine, peering down at me curiously. "I would never patronize you, darling."

_Liar. _

My brow raises, "But, you'd manipulate me?"

His thick brow raises, mirroring mine. "Is it manipulation if you're aware of it?"

Kol Mikaelson is a clever bastard.

Said Original leans down further towards me, making my breath hitch as he whispers, "Don't look now, but I do believe those friends of yours are plotting something devious for this evening."

Sighing, I pout up at the tricky Original tiredly, an exasperated roll of my eyes soon following as he looks down at me amusedly.

"It's like they're obsessed with me or something. You say one little thing about killing a doppelgänger and everyone loses their heads," I groan with a backwards tilt of my head. Kol's gaze hungrily focuses on the column of my throat, but otherwise he's undistracted as he twirls me around once more.

"You're trying to kill the doppelgänger?" His dark eyes flash dangerously, promising nothing but trouble as he twirls me to where my back hits against his chest, leaning down to my other ear as he finishes, "How curious. Why might that be?"

"The great Kol Mikaelson doesn't know already?" I ask with an upward tilt of my chin, the new angle placing our faces much closer together, much to my racing heart's dismay.

God, he's **_hot._**

His smirk turns rueful, an overwhelming look of sarcastic woe washing over his face in a way that made me feel like this was how Kol mocked his victims. "I'm afraid everyone in this nowhere town seems to be tight-lipped about who you are. Whether it's in respect of who you are to my brothers, or because no one has the answers I want, I can't seem to find what I'm looking for. Care to assist a begging man?"

His thick brow raises again in challenge, and me, somewhat amused that no one was talking about my existence, smile brightly up at him. "Well that depends. What all have you heard about me, Kol?"

The song fades to silence once again, and all I hear momentarily are the whoops and hollers of the party cheering drunkenly, everyone having hare-brained fun as I danced with one of the oldest vampires on the planet.

The large hand covering mine guides me back into his chest, but much closer than before as the music starts again, a Latin beat that I don't know. The way he lowers his face to mine, staring deeply into my eyes with an almost lighthearted curiosity is undercut by the savagery in it. A bizarre balance of crazy and intrigue hovered in that brown gaze of his— it would be consuming if I wasn't careful.

_How many witches have thrown away their lives over that pretty face_, I wonder.

"Alessia Bennett: cheerleader, witch, older sister and previous mentor to Bonnie Bennett. You used to be a part of that little rebel group of the Salvatore's to protect the doppelgänger. Dead until just recently, you were a witch who partnered with Elijah to try and take down Nik before I woke up. You died before you got to see my brother abandon your cause for his family," Kol pauses briefly, noting my lack of reaction at the trauma rehash, spinning me out and back into his strong arms with a smirk as he releases my hand, sending chills up my spine as his hand runs down my back to join the other on my hips.

_Be careful, Alessia, _Dahlia warns. _Kol isn't known for his kindness._

"Devastatingly beautiful," he nonchalantly adds, making my eyes snap to his, not knowing whether I believe him or not as I feel heat pool in my stomach at his hungry look.

Kol doesn't stop, "Extremely intelligent. Bloodthirsty. And it's no stretch for me to include that you are an exceedingly talented witch."

Nodding my head, I acquiesce, glancing a bit around the party surrounding us as we spin. My eyes lock on a pair of cold blue ones over Kol's shoulder, Damon's cold glare fierce as his eyes meet mine.

Smirking, I flutter my eyes back up to Kol, coy smile on my lips when an intrigued glint enters his predatory gaze. "I _am_ all those things. What else could you want to know?"

"What it would take to get you to kill this party and leave here with me," Kol answers with a roguish grin.

Curiosity peaking, and nearly forgetting that I'm at my birthday party in the first place as the alcohol starts to hit me, my brows both raise in surprise at Kol as I spin out of his arms, moving to dance on my own.

"I said not to patronize me," I sigh sweetly over the noise, rotating my hips along to the rhythm of the music as my hands fluff up my copper curls, letting the back of my neck breathe. Kol's eyes are locked on my body, watching my every move as if hypnotized. "Why would I leave my own birthday party at your request?"

He watches me sway for a moment more before moving back in on me like a hungry shark honing in on it's victim. Kol's hands remind me a bit of the vines that used to grow along our old backyard, twining as they press against my lower back to bring me closer to him— whether I want to or not. At least until he pauses with an annoyed arch of his brow as someone coughs next to us.

Lo and behold, Tyler Lockwood has made his way through the crowd, all protective werewolf instincts and pupil-blown raging testosterone.

Oh, perfect.

Crossing his large, tanned, muscular arms, a couple of people turn are way at the interruption, Kol in particular grinning at my ex-friend with a look suggesting murder.

"This guy giving you trouble, Lessia?" Tyler asks gruffly, looking just about ready to yank me out of Kol's hold himself if I didn't answer quickly.

Which would only end badly because Kol is fucking nuts and is always looking for a fight; and if he kills Tyler at my party, then I'll have to make more of that stupid memory potion that burned my hand earlier, _and _I'll have to bleach the carpet of the stains Tyler's corpse leaves behind. Ew.

Placing a hand firmly on Kol's shoulder, I squeeze the firm, suit-painted muscle under my hands twice so he turns to look at my faux soft smile. I step out from his possessive hold once again, disentangling myself from his arms and taking a step towards Tyler without breaking eye contact with Kol.

"Duty calls, Mr. Mikaelson," I say stepping forward and reaching an apathetic hand out towards Tyler who grabs it promptly; illiciting the exact dark look that I want to see pass Kol's eyes. "I need to mingle. See ya when I see ya."

Turning away from the flirty psycho, I steer Tyler in-between the dancing swarm of people spilling alcohol in my living room, unaware of the carnivorous pair of dark eyes watching me guide us both out the front door. My magic literally feels like lightning under my skin at this much stimulus. Maybe the party wasn't such a genius idea.

Body cooling quickly in the February weather, I see a practically snarling Tyler join my side on the third floor railing.

I pull out the raspberry lollipop I swiped from a bowl in the kitchen, yanking off the wrapper, and popping it in my mouth as the Lockwood werewolf exhaled loudly through his nose. I don't listen to what he goes off about, instead snatching his phone from his pocket and scrolling through the contacts to message someone with a quick, 'lemme borrow this.'

If she wasn't available I'd have to go out and do it myself.

—

**Msg:** Hey it's Alessia. Where r u?

—

After I hit send, Tyler attempts to grab his phone from my hand, but I swipe my finger down, letting my magic knock him out cold on the concrete. His body collapses with a thud onto my heel, and I roll my eyes, kicking him off the toe of my shoe before feeling a buzz in my hand.

Glancing down I see that she's messaged me back promptly.

—

**From:** Vicki

**Msg:** Hey! Heard ab the whole dying thing, nice to have you back. I'm in town to see Mattie. Y?

—

Grinning, I quickly reply.

—

**Msg:** U still w Jeremy? If not, feel like fucking with Elena Gilbert?

—

I don't have to wait long for the reply.

—

**From: **Vicki

**Msg:** Fuck the Gilberts. When and where?

—

The smile on my face is 100% genuine for the first time all day.

With that, I swipe my magic and slump Tyler against the railing like he's passed out drunk before strutting back into the bass-thrumming apartment. He had been a bit annoying with Kol, so he could sleep out here tonight.

I'm sure he'll be fine, or someone'll take him home at some point, I think to myself as I message Vicki Donovan the details to my epic birthday party finisher. Tyler Lockwood was no longer my responsibility.

————

Getting back into my own party is a lot more difficult then going out of it, apparently. Bumping against several bodies, I have murder on my mind when one girl's particular shoulder shoves hard against mine, her blonde head immediately snapping to me apologetically before freezing.

"Aless," Caroline gasps, blue eyes wide and not quite surprised, but definitely spooked. Her voice is much easier to hear in the quieter entry hallway.

"Caroline," I nod back cordially before moving to continue through, not particularly caring why she had that nervous look in her cornflower blue gaze. If they all had some pathetic little coup planned for my party, they were free to try and come at me.

Everyone here and more would be collateral damage for their mistake.

A soft hand reaches out, grabbing my arm, and I turn back apathetically to face my ex-blonde hurricane. Blinking at the sudden shiver down my spine, I squint at Caroline before snatching her hand and probing my magic through her more directly. This all confirms my suspicions and I raise my brows at the realization that Caroline Forbes in her adorable minidress was also a brand new vampire.

"You died?" I ask curiously, raising a brow at her.

She's surprised at the question as to her well-being, blinking her doll-like eyes before nodding with a bit of a breathless laugh, "Subtle, Aless. But, yeah. I was killed when Mason Lockwood first came to town. He turned during the ritual where we were supposed to kill Klaus, and I didn't get him to the bunker in time."

Hm.

"That must've hurt. Well, at least you weren't staked by Damon," I attempt to sympathize, quickly giving up halfway. Caroline's eyes widen, alarmed at what I've said, but I brush her confusion off with a wave of my hand turning back to walk away. "Whoopsies. _Spoilers_," I tease as Caroline moves to join my side, not taking the hint and walking alongside me towards the kitchen through the neon lights and now weed-smelling hazy, humid air.

"Alessia, I just need to tell you something, and then I'll quit ruining your birthday," she hastily rushes out, and I can see her eyes water. They're large, blue, pretty, and heartbroken as they pierce mine, and most of all, _honest._

Staring hard in her eyes for any signs of treachery, I pause my steps in the small space between the end of my hall and the kitchen, motioning for her to continue.

"Okay, Care," I say in a fake chipper tone, mocking her eagerness to speak to me. "Guess I have time for one thing. The fuck do you want, and while we're at it, the fuck is the rest of the group doing here?"

She blinks wildly, clearly confused and nervous as she scans the limited view of the , "The group is here?"

My brows immediately furrow. Why wouldn't she know? Did they not tell her?

_Careful,_ Lettie hums. _Could be a trap. Wouldn't want to be caught gullible twice._

"You didn't know.." I finally hum to myself after a beat.

"What? No! I stopped all the Doppelgänger stuff after I died. I wanted to come and apologize for everything that happened," she pauses, noting my slightly surprised, but still narrowing eyes before quickly inserting, "I'm.. kinda blacklisted now, too. But, I'm not here to feel sorry for myself. You need to know that when we voted on who to save that day, my vote went to you."

Oh.

A stark mental note that the war council is probably still a thing that the group used to make decisions, so votes were still a thing.

This did leave me feeling slightly complicated, however, because if she's telling the truth, her crime isn't as severe as I first thought. The small, albeit minuscule part of me that wanted to hope that she meant what she said was distracted when the music was suddenly cut off. Lo and behold, it's Damon Salvatore with two cops in front of my sound system, the cocky bastard dangling the plug.

"This party is officially shut down!" He calls out into the now completely silent house. "If you don't want your ID checked, you have fifteen seconds to exit the house!"

My eyes narrow sharply, glad that I had expedited that favor from Vicki. Caroline looks around the room confused as teenagers all flood out of the apartment, despite the essentials. Obviously, Caroline and I were here, but a survey of the room revealed several familiar faces leftover that I hadn't expected. Kol is up by the speakers, hovering darkly over a scared-looking Bonnie while sneaking an eye around the room, winking at me when he spots my form. Stefan is on the opposite end of the room from Elena, the skank, and I can sense tension from here. I jump slightly when Elijah Mikaelson appears at mine and Caroline's side, adjusting the cuffs of his tailored suit and assessing the situation quickly, his mouth setting in a firm line.

Klaus Mikaelson is leaned up against my kitchen island, sniffing at the jungle juice briefly before scowling, instead grabbing the hundred-proof vodka and pouring himself two shots before noticing that the house has cleared out.

Caroline and I glance at each other briefly, both with furrowed brows of confusion, and I'm nearly certain that she also has no idea what's going on here. Damon turns, clapping the two middle-aged cops on the shoulder with a cold smirk, clearly meaning business.

"Go on and head home guys! Thanks for the assistance!" He calls mock-cheerfully as the two men walk out, and that's when I pinch my nose in annoyance. My dumb ass hadn't seen the obvious sign that the two were actually compelled _idiots_ in cop costumes: the giant badge on the hat. Real cops don't have those.

I quickly feel my temper rising and decide that Klaus had the right idea, reaching onto the bar behind me and quickly opening a fresh bottle of whiskey, downing several gulps before looking at everyone who had their eyes on me.

Maybe that would give me enough patience to calmly adapt to these fucking infants ruining my birthday party at eleven at night.

"Start explaining why you've all ruined my resurrection party before I start ripping off limbs," I vehemently threaten, whiskey burning the back of my throat.

Elena Gilbert steps forward slowly—well, at least more towards the center of the room where the power players of Mystic Falls could listen to her, large doe eyes filled with a pathetic sort of pity that makes my stomach churn.

"Alessia, please. I know you hate me, but the destruction needs to stop. Let us help you. It's not too late for us to get back to how it used to be," she says slowly like she's talking to a screaming infant. My eyes narrow further and the lights start to flicker as I let out a harsh forced laugh, smiling at her.

"You're really going to bring up our drama in front of the Originals? Nice to see my death didn't change your propensity to make everything about you. Oh, and that my sister is too scared to talk for herself to her angry big sister. Not much has changed at all," I quip, and I see Bonnie wince, looking at the floor and not even having enough respect for me to look me in the eye when I challenge her. Rolling my eyes at my sister's lack of spine, I turn with an arch of my brow to the Mikaelson brothers.

"I recall giving one of you an invitation. What brings three celebrities to a humble eighteen year-old witch's b-day party?" I ask, glancing between the three darkly handsome brothers.

"I overheard Miss Elena discussing the occasion at length with your little sister this afternoon," Klaus replies with his adorable British lilt, stormy blue eyes piercing mine as he walks from the kitchen towards me at the entrance of the hallway. Elena and Bonnie's eyes lock, clearly alarmed at this news and proving the truth in Klaus' story.

His eyes look me up and down, and I'm starting to realize that this type of hungry gaze is a Mikaelson trait. "The temptation to meet you finally, Miss Bennett, was too great to bear. And so, here I am," he finishes with a spread of his arms, the movement cocky on it's own.

Kol moves next, turning away from Bonnie to narrow his eyes at his brother briefly, realizing that Elijah must've been the recipient of the invite. "I was invited by a pretty little thing in town today. Awful chatty, but she made for a good snack."

Damon rolls his pretty blue eyes, "We get it. You're the psycho Mikaelson."

Kol moves to get at Damon for the prodding, but I don't have time for their childish dick-measuring contest, so I clench my fist along Kol's shadow, holding him still. Albeit, _furiously_ still. It's significantly more difficult than I thought to hold an Original in place, but it was not too big of an ache.

Stepping further towards them with a sway of my hips and an unamused smirk on my face, I glower at Damon and see him swallow, probably remembering what I did to him at the Grill. Clenching my other fist, I close my magic in around Elena, lifting her in the air threateningly as Bonnie attempts to shoot magic my way, me diverting it with a lift of my magic and causing a sizeable dent to appear in the ceiling.

I start slowly choking her and even Klaus and Elijah have started to move towards me, obviously wanting to protect their brother's curse cure. I release Kol, turning my hand to halt them with a firm look. "Do _not_ take another step closer or I'll snap her feeble little neck."

Why did they always bring her to these dangerous meetings? She's literally the reason they live for; why would they bring me the perfect leverage against literally everyone in this room?

Elijah raises a hand, not taking another step but his eyes are firm on mine. "Alessia. We have an agreement."

Both my brows raise, a look of mock-surprise making me drop my mouth open in a dramatic gasp before I pause, looking at the elder Original sarcastically. "Oh, _wait._ There's no part of our agreement that guarantees the doppelgänger's safety. If you want me to leave her in one piece, get this goof troop off my _fucking_ back before I snap her spine."

There's a few beats of silence when I hear it.

"_Alessia Marie Bennett!"_

Oh, you've got to be _fucking_ kidding me.

Turning around towards the front door, there Rudy Bennett stands, as angry and authoritative as ever. He huffs, walking further into the room, right in front of me with disappointment written all over his aging brown face.

"Ah, _dad,"_ I sigh apathetically, rolling my eyes at the drama of this all. I didn't even want the stupid party anymore, I just wanted to feel satisfied and go to bed. "Wonderful time for you to come back from your proverbial trip to get milk. Here to try and shame me into being Glinda the Good Witch, I assume?"

His dark, aged eyes pierce mine, and while I see the fatherly affection, I know for a fact that he has none of the fatherly commitment. This is manifesting into a soap opera of colossal proportions, and not only is it embarrassing in front of the Originals, it's vastly irritating on my birthday. With a rough swallow of another gulp of whiskey, I venomously look my father in the eyes, feeling a downward spiral of rage coming on.

"Alessia, this magic— baby, it's messing with your head. I told your Grams that I didn't want this to happen to you two, and I will _not_ let you spiral now," he firmly says in his deep, growly voice.

One I hadn't heard in over six months.

"_Lovely," _I scoff, "You get to come in running as my father figure after I'm legally an adult. Have you done _anything_ competent in your adult life?" I pause, raising my hand to stop him from talking as my hip cocks drunkenly and my fury rolls in like a thunderstorm, turning to face Damon with an annoyed scowl on my face.

_"This _is your big plan to get me on the straight and narrow again? God, you guys are pathetic," I groan, turning instead to the Mikaelsons.

"Elena's not gonna die right now, and I'm not going to rough her up.. much," I admit with a shrug, and Klaus' stormy blues glower at me. "All I'm doing is establishing boundaries. Feel free to enjoy the show if you'd like, but I wouldn't recommend trying to stop me."

There's a knock at the door and a buzz from the phone in my hand, and I smile, turning away from the Mikaelsons. In particular, a very huffy Klaus Mikaelson who didn't seem happy that I had told them what to do. Although, none of them really looked like they did. I move and open the door, revealing Vicki Donovan with a large roll-in suitcase at the door.

She looks much better, hazel eyes alert and focused as she smiles brightly at me, wrapping me in a one-armed hug, much to my surprise. Quickly releasing me, she finally takes in my face, noting the tension in the room. "Oh, you've roped me into something, haven't you?"

My eyes harden, me not wanting to hurt her, but _really_ needing to take care of this aching need for at least a sliver of revenge against Elena Gilbert. "Just leave, Vicki. No need to be any more involved than you already are," I say with a pleasant smile, grabbing the handle of the heavy suitcase with my magic and levitating it inside.

Her eyes are suspicious, but at the challenging arch of my brow, she firmly decides to exit the scene. "I hope you know what you're doing, Bennett," she says before vanishing, and I chew on that thought for a minute.

Then, I realize that I _do_ know exactly what I'm doing.

Turning and closing the door, I swipe and make my suitcase land with a groan on my couch, everyone's eyes on it as I do so. Hopping on top of the suitcase and smirking at the painful grunt I hear, I cross my legs in my silk dress, thoroughly enjoying the drama of this reveal. Everyone besides Elena and Bonnie's eyes narrowed on the suitcase, probably recognizing the voice of the person inside.

Elena panics when Stefan, Damon, and Caroline's eyes widen horrifically at the realization of 'what's in the box.' "What's wrong?!" She asks urgently, eyes quickly glancing for any sign of an answer from any of the vampire's faces.

"It's my birthday present to _me, _Elena. You in pain. And I picked the most poetic way to do it, if I do say so myself," I say dramatically, hopping off the suitcase and pushing my magic to open the zippers.

Jenna Sommers pops out of the suitcase, presumably Vicki's blood coating her lips and gasping as she clutches her throat. Elena's doe eyes widen cartoonishly in terror as she spots her roughed-up aunt. Stefan and Damon both step forward to stop me, but two of the pencils on the kitchen table fly up in front of their chests, threateningly pushing them back in place as it pokes the skin above their hearts.

Elena's eyes are watering, and it's _just_ as gratifying as I thought it would be, a part of my soul soothing a bit at the sight of her hurting. Kol Mikaelson appears to be absolutely delighted with the turn out of events; as opposed to his brother, Elijah, who was glancing between both me and Elena with vaguely concerned eyes. Well, as concerned as the stonewall that is Elijah Mikaelson would look amongst strangers who couldn't know his weaknesses.

Bonnie looked absolutely horrified, as if she couldn't believe this was happening—that I was doing this. But, I was. Klaus Mikaelson on the other hand looks amused, almost a bit relieved that I'm only harming his doppelgänger psychologically rather than actually risking his chances of becoming a hybrid. And my father, well.. my father looked like any father who's discovered his child is a murderous sociopathic witch— broken-hearted.

"Obviously, I don't need to explain the stakes here, but I'd like to take a moment to truly _relish_ the look of suffering on your pretty little face, Elena," I say with a genuine smile; albeit, a malicious one. "It's nice to have a taste of that before I actually finish you off. I'll have to keep this in mind for then."

_"Lessy,"_ my sister pleads, finally stepping forward and meeting my eye, arms open as tears roll down her cheeks. "I _know _I messed up, but please, don't take it out on Elena. She doesn't deserve this."

I blink indifferently to her pleas, completely set on what I was about to do, when Elena steps closer towards me, hands shaking as she looks at me with hate in her eyes. "Don't _do _this, Alessia. Please, I'm begging you," she sobs, and my lip curls in disgust when she snivels, "I'm sorry for everything I ever did or said to you but please don't take Jenna from us."

Jenna has finally come to towards the end of Elena's begging, and she starts to struggle in her duct tape bonds when I lift to fingers up, holding her by her neck to where she's gasping. Collateral damage.

"You know," I say faux-thoughtfully, tapping a finger to my pouty lips as I deliberate to the hopeful, dopey look on Elena's face, "I thought maybe if I felt moved at all by your pleas, I'd let her go with a warning, just this once," the hope in Elena's eyes dies as she looks on in horror at her aunt. I twist my hand hard and Jenna's neck snaps hard to the right with a loud crack, sending pleasant chills down my spine.

Elena gasps in horror, but I just smile pleasantly as Jenna's human corpse falls off the edge of the couch, knowing full well that now vampire!Jenna was on the way and she was completely unaware of the supernatural in the first place.

"Too bad for Jenna," I say apathetically.

Maybe now Elena would learn that there are consequences to her actions.

_And if not, then next time we'd rip Jeremy's heart out make her eat it._

_——————_

**A/n: Again, sorry! See you for part 3!**

**——————**


	34. Thirty One

**Nemesism:** _def._ frustration, anger, or aggression directed inward, towards oneself and one's way of life

———

**Chapter 31:** Well, That Was Unexpectedly Epic_._

———  


Okay, so I know that I said that I enjoyed Elena's misery.

And I _do_.

It's just that I would've just enjoyed it a lot more if it involved less caterwauling.

The first few minutes after Jenna died was filled with Elena's sobbing, Bonnie and the rest of the crew looking hurt as they watched her mourning. All very dramatic considering she never helped them with anything.

Now, I bet you're wondering: _Why is Alessia even watching anymore of this? She's too good to waste her time._

And I agree wholeheartedly.

However, there is something that I've noticed occurs throughout the old timeline when it comes to the enemies the Losers Club faced and defeated.

_They never stick around after killing someone to make sure nothing interesting happens._

And, it always somehow bites the bad guys in the ass.

Katherine turned Caroline into a vamp to use her as a spy, didn't keep a close enough eye on her after— boom! Caroline ends up being the reason Katherine gets stuck in the tomb.

Tyler gets his neck snapped and turned into a hybrid, Klaus doesn't get him on lockdown away from the group soon enough, and he ends up nearly killing the Original _several_ times.

No one ever_ permanently_ killed Elena Gilbert—because who could do that to poor, innocent Elena? —and she ended up being the cause of almost _everyone's _deaths. And, after Grams, I was going to ratify that mistake. If Elena didn't die at the sacrifice, I would be happy to correct the wrongs of the universe— like the one deciding she gets to have a happy ending while the rest of us suffer. Therefore, the doppelgänger needs to survive until the sacrifice.

A rapidly-declining possibility with her babbling in front of my _furious_, magically _and_ mentally-unstable, self.

Rolling my eyes as I try to bite down the swell of murderous rage starting to make my veins feel like they're on fire, I wave my fingers, slamming open my apartment's front door with my magic— slightly too strong however.

The door flies off it's hinges, rapid firing down the hallway like it's been shot out of a bullet.

I blink, slightly surprised by the obnoxious slam the heavy door makes against the other end of the hallway, narrowly passing where Elijah is standing.

Turning sharply to me, Elijah quirks a dark brow as the dust begins to settle, silently challenging if I was targeting him now. Giving him a sheepish shrug paired with a blasé 'yikes' face, I turn to face the rest of the stunned Scooby Gang, and a now-_thankfully_-silent Elena.

"Whoops," I sigh, frowning at the thought of having to fix that sizeable door-sized dent in the wall.

I mean, it was just a wave of my hand, but I'm lazy.

Said Scooby Gang are watching me incredulously, and I catch eyes with Caroline.

There's a shocked look in her eyes, of course, and confusion, too. But, there's something in that one look that reminds me of the first time I met Care Bear.

My ex-blonde. My ex-twin flame. My ex-soul sister.

The little girl who walked up to me on the day of my first-grade 'field trip' to read to the kindergarteners. I spotted said-blonde hurricane when she was coloring with Bons and Elena at a rainbow crayon table. She had two pigtails and huge cornflower blue eyes, and she was the most adorable kindergartener ever. And she was very, _very _mad.

"What do you _mean '_we're not best friends,' Elena?!" She cried shrilly, cute voice warbling with the threat of an oncoming fit.

A very little Elena Gilbert blinked her big brown eyes adorably at Caroline as she continued to color in her purple horse that carried a knight on its back, "Bonnie called it first."

"Yeah!" Bons chimed in cheerfully, currently drawing her and Elena at a dance party with the PowerPuff Girls.

Baby blondie's cheeks puffed up in irritation, cheeks getting red as her eyes got watery, and I thought it was the best pair of puppy dog eyes I'd ever seen.

"Well, _fine _then!" She sneered back at the two other little girls snootily. "You both are not pretty enough to be my bestest friend, _anyway. _I have a much cooler, much prettier best friend than you two could ever get!"

"Oh, _really?" _Elena asked, never having been one to like when people talked down to her. "Than _who _is it,Caroline? I bet she's not even real and you lied and made her up."

A couple of big tears roll down the blonde little girl's rosy cheeks as she but her lip, trying not to cry in front of them. She scanned the room quickly, embarrassment starting to flush her face even redder when cornflower blue met caramel for the very first time.

I had been depressed for several years at this point, and had begun to wonder if I had gone completely numb. I wondered if I'd ever feel anything that wasn't shitty.

And then, there it was— looking into a blonde five year-old's eyes, I felt the first spark of something in over sixteen months; and even though I didn't actually _know _it then, I knew that something had clicked into place. Something there when we locked eyes _connected, _and I knew, no matter how many secrets I'd end up keeping from her— this girl was going to be in my life for the rest of it.

And then, she told Elena and Bons I was her best friend, unaware that I was Bonnie's big sister.

Even now, with how angry I am, I still feel that way. Like I was supposed to meet her. And I hate it. Because it's making me think that Caroline was telling me the truth— and that makes it much easier for me to want to forgive.

I don't _enjoy _feeling this way now.

I don't like feeling like a fucking time bomb all of the time.

I don't like the fact that my purpose for walking around on Earth at the moment is the fact that I have people to hurt, who I used to love.

Well, except Elena.

And a part of me wished that I had never come back in the first place. Fate had been a cruel mistress to me, bringing me back to life, bad emotions cranked to a hundred, just to watch the people I sacrificed my life for do _nothing _for me. The truth of the matter is, I can't take another breech in trust.

I am already so _broken_ and in so much fucking _pain,_ that even now that I'm here and making them pay, it wasn't gratifying enough.

In essence, I'm fragile right now. I couldn't take another blow.

I'm strong, but I'm not _that _strong— and I know that one more good heartbreak will _break _me. So, how am I supposed to trust _anyone? _How am I supposed to feel when my ex-best friend tells me that she voted for me to come back, but didn't try very hard to make it happen when Jeremy won?

And I can tell what she's thinking the same way she can probably tell what I am.

She's wondering how she's supposed to feel right now about me. Her eyes are big and conflicted, and I know that she's wondering just how much she'll be willing to forgive. Jenna isn't the last straw for her, and I can tell judging by the storm of emotions in her gaze that it was something that she had already forgiven.

It made me question the same thing.

Snapping my attention back to the room, Elena gasps on the floor as she suddenly releases Jenna's corpse from her weeping willow grasp.

_"Jenna?"_ She asks, most likely feeling her restarting heartbeat. Her brown eyes snap to my form accusingly, clearly not wanting to accept the truth of the situation.

"Yup," I say with a loud pop at the end, "She didn't deserve to die for your stupidity," I pause, mock-thoughtfully putting my finger on my chin, tapping it a couple times before adding, "_This _time. Now, take your little baby vampire home before I rip your heart out for one of your little Salvatore boy toys. You can even pick which one."

I gasp playfully, enjoying the twist of hate on her face as Elena Gilbert glares at me the way she always has— like I'm the bad guy.

And as the rest of the Scooby Gang vamp sped one another out of my apartment, Damon leaves last, giving me a heated look. His face is blank, blue eyes penetrating, as usual, and he just _really _takes a good look at me before dashing off into the night.

Still feeling like my magic is going to pop from under my skin like a balloon, I turn and paste a polite smile on my pretty face as I turn towards the three most threatening vampires in existence.

If Elena Gilbert wanted me to play 'Heroes and Villains,' I knew what side I firmly stood on.

And, I had no problem playing the role.

———

"So, what brings the Three Musketeers to a lowly reincarnated witch's birthday party?" I ask, grabbing one of the beers on the counter and promptly twisting it open, popping a straw in the mouth so I don't ruin my lipstick, and somehow blow up something by getting mad over it.

"I hope you've both brought a present, since it's rude to party crash," I finish playfully as I gesture to the two K's of the Mikaelson siblings, my smile finishing on the one and only, Klaus Mikaelson.

Outside of Silas, I considered him to be the other side's King piece on this massive chessboard— despite what Kol and Elijah would have me believe.

In person, it was much more noticeable as to _why._

Klaus was not only a devilishly handsome _bastard_— both literally and figuratively— but, he had an incredibly charismatic aura about him that you just couldn't feel when watching from the outside. This was a man of power, a man of influence, and therefore, not one to take lightly.

When I had originally been playing for Team: Whatever Bons Wants, my plans in particular for Klaus were difficult to prepare for.

Not only was he wickedly intelligent and intuitive— Klaus Mikaelson was _paranoid. _

Getting the up on him was _exceedingly_ difficult for his adversaries to do up until the day he died in the original timeline because of it; and considering who all shows up for his head and home, that's _significant._ I decided that the safest way to handle him at the time was to make an honest deal with the guy.

Elena Gilbert in exchange for the few citizens of Mystic Falls that Alessia Bennett likes.

And now that things had gone topsy-turvy, I had no idea how I wanted to deal with him— or _any _of the Mikaelsons. God knows, anyone else who knew their track record when it came to the sustained health of their business partners would run for the hills.

I try to soothe the energy running rampant under my skin, but I'm unsure of how long I can hold out before I end up causing the electricity to go out for the entire block. We'd just have to make this quick so I could find something creative to implode.

"Unfortunately, no. You agreed to assisting us and we've come for assistance," Klaus states, as if it's already a fact that I'm helping them with whatever they want, and it amuses me.

My mouth quirks slightly as I give him a look, walking over and sitting on my white leather couch and crossing my legs— gesturing for them to take a seat as well if they wished. Elijah acquiesces, but Klaus and Kol continue to stand anyway, the former just walking closer to us with a newly refilled glass of alcohol.

"What he means," Elijah inserts, adjusting his cuffs as he leans back against the couch, eloquently as he corrects, "is that it has become imperative to locate Sheila Bennett— and more specifically, the coffin— as soon as possible. What my brother failed to mention is that he informed Kol and I this morning whom is within said-coffin. It cannot be allowed to open at this time."

Playfully furrowing my brows at the more uptight Mikaelson, I take another sip out of my straw before smirking, "Ah, _more_ people resurrecting. A lesser person would think it's the end of days or something."

"And you don't?" Kol suddenly interjects, and my eyes lock on malevolent dark ones for a moment before answering.

Lightly, I sigh, "I'm sure the end of days already happened, and we're all just here to suffer together till we move to the next place. Where we all get to suffer together again and again— and so on."

Kol hums as if he's thinking but his eyes are carnivorous on my form, clearly indicating that he's thinking of something else we can do together again and again.

Too bad for him, I'm in a terrible mood.

"That's all well and philosophical, but could we get a move on with finding Granny Bennett? The sooner the coffin is safe, the sooner we can all go home," Klaus demands, oddly reminiscent of a toddler.

Ignoring his tone and turning to Kol with a quirk of my brow, I ask, "What all have your witches tried to locate her? I've tried a handful of spells, but whatever the hell is guarding that coffin is powerful enough to manipulate them."

His eyes glint with apparent interest, clearly happy that I know _exactly _who he is.

"Just about everything between beginner and professional magic. What we need is a powerful talisman to bolster one of the stronger spells _through_ whatever is stopping the other location spells."

Brows furrowing, my eyes snap to Klaus.

"You want to use _me— _in all essence— as a _battery_ to jumpstart the location spell?"

"Precisely," Elijah bluntly assures, looking somewhat apologetic when I glare at him. "That came across a bit calloused. My apologies, Miss Bennett."

_Ah, so polite, _Dahlia sighs dreamily, _and so **very** easy to look at._

_Yeah, I'm actually a bit jealous, _Lettie hums. _Don't count out the other brothers though. All very pretty, altogether._

True.

Well, at least the involuntary attraction to every pretty thing isn't just a 'my lifetime' thing.

"Well, that's all peaches and cream, but I'm failing to see why you're here at my birthday party for this. I asked for this off, Elijah," I groan, wanting them gone so that I can go unwind this hot, increasing pressure in my veins.

"And I agreed," Elijah replies firmly, turning to give the now-smirking Klaus some serious side eye. "Niklaus seemed to think he could persuade you to see his way, so he and Kol decided to follow to see if you were available after your evening ended."

Turning to look Klaus in his wild, stormy gaze, I pause at the look in his eyes, unsure what it means. All I know is that he's looking for something, and whatever he's looking for, he sees it in my eyes, smirking impishly. It immediately makes me suspicious to watch that grin spread across his face.

"Well, I was going to attempt to persuade you into seeing my way," Klaus replies for himself, blue eyes taking on a glint that I didn't know if I trusted. "But, after that spectacular performance, I'd say you must be more than exhausted. We'll take our leave and regroup in the morning."

Blinking in surprise, I can't help but doubt the paranoid hybrid, unsure what his next move would be when it came to me. Obviously, him and Dahlia had history according to Kol, but I had no idea how much leniency that offered.

Or when it would run out.

———

It didn't take long after that for the three Mikaelsons to vanish one by one.

And so, I sat in that apartment.

An hour of whispering small spells to release the ever expanding pressure of my own anger.

This situation was absolute _shit._

Not only could Caroline be more innocent of her betrayal than I had originally assumed, but no one had _officially_ informed me of what all had occurred surrounding the decision to let me rot. I had no idea what exactly had passed since my own passing, and the thought was more than vexing, to say the least.

I breathe out of my nose, stiffening slightly when I hear my front door open once again, unsure as to who it was this time.

Turning, I pause completely when I see familiar ice blue eyes piercing mine, nearly making my heart stop at the surprise of it all. We both look at each other for a moment: me, cross-legged with a drink in my hand completely loaded with calming herbs; and him— tall, dark, and silent.

We both look at each other, and for once, I don't think about how he and Elena are.

I look at him, and I remember him.

I remember how we met.

I remember offering him cinnamon gum in his Camaro.

I remember him kissing me for the first time in front of the girls at practice.

I remember dancing with him at the Fifties Dance.

I remember hugging him when Katherine wasn't in the tomb, and Grams has just disowned me and Bons.

I remember us fake dating.

I remember him telling me about Lettie.

I remember him hugging me when we were rescued from Isobel's.

I remember almost sleeping with him.

And, I remember saying goodbye to him that night before I left with Grams.

I don't bother smiling, the tension in the room thick; and I wonder if I'm going to have to kill Damon here. No part of me gave a rat's ass about the timeline now— I didn't care who it saved or killed in the end.

But, a small part deep inside of me didn't want to have to be the one to do it.

"Hey, D," I greet politely after a moment, the silence of the still-trashed living room settling heavily between us and everything that has happened. "Come to get payback for Elena?"

Damon's face is carefully blank, not revealing anything in the myriad of sapphire shades in his eyes as he stepped further into the living room, stopping a handful a feet away from me. It feels like such a long time ago, back when we were friends. Back when we were probably more than friends.

Well, I guess it had only felt like a long time to me.

"No, Aly Cat," Damon answers after a beat of silence, glancing down at the ground before glancing back up at me, as if it hurt him to look at me. "No. I didn't. I came to talk."

Standing, I brush past him into the kitchen, and he silently follows, watching me refill my mug with hard eyes as he crosses his leather-jacket coated arms and leans against the doorframe. Rolling my eyes at the tension in the room after a few beats of silence, I finally break.

"Damon Salvatore? Just wanting to talk? That's a first," I quip bitterly, grabbing the half-spilled bottle of rum off of the messy counter and adding a good measure to my tea. I turn to face him, and the look in his eyes is startling in its intensity.

"You died, Alessia," Damon states bluntly, and I quirk a brow at him.

"I'm aware, D. I was there."

Damon suddenly slams his fist into the side of the door frame, creating yet another sizable dent in my apartment before spinning back to face me— eyes wild and angry.

"You _died, _Alessia!" He snaps, icy eyes furious on my simmering ones. Striding up, he gets close, glowering down at me, "I woke up that morning to a call at four in the goddamn morning. I went there. I _saw _you. There was blood everywhere. Your throat had been cut. And those pretty little brown eyes of yours were _lifeless _and _dead._ And then, I had to carry your corpse all the way back to my house and put you in my basement. You were _gone. _And, I could do nothing about it._"_

"_Fuck_ you, Damon," I reply, getting angry that he's making my painful death an inconvenience for himself, "This isn't about you! How do you manage to take everyone else's problems and still make it about yourself? _You_ are not the one who got abandoned here. _I_ am. _I'm_ the one who let you in and was left behind. _You_ left me there!"

"I _**know!**"_ He yells back, "I _know_ what I did. I know what my vote was for. I know that no matter how much I apologize, you won't buy it. And I'm _fine_ with that, Aly Cat. I play the bad guy all the time— you think I can't with you?"

Arching my brow, I shoot him a challenging look as I feel an anger-induced heat rush from my toes to the top of my head, asking the one question that brings that entire theory crumbling to the ground.

"Oh? Then, why the _fuck_ are you here, Damon Salvatore?" I ask, and his eyes harden on mine. "Why are you even here if you're fine with it? You chose that day. You chose _Elena._ Why are you back here?"

He looks like he wants to hit something.

"I don't _know!_ When I came back here, all I wanted to do was tear your heart out of your chest! And then, there you are. Just like before. And, I don't know what the hell I'm doing again," he shouts back at first, slowly lowering to a deep growl of rage as large hands move up to grip my shoulders, lightly shaking me.

I feel my own swell of emotions, the light above the stove shattering as I glare fiercely at the older Salvatore. The _bastard._

Suddenly, he looks down at his hands on my shoulders, blue eyes widening with an epiphany. Those crystalline blue eyes that I've looked into many times before shift to an expression I've never seen before— one of deep, _deep _probing.

"Wait a minute," he says after a thoughtful pause, "You're letting me touch you."

Brows furrowing, I smack his hands away from my shoulders, walking out of the kitchen and promptly using my magic to open the newly-reattached door for him to get the hell out. I didn't know what he was getting at, and I didn't want to know.

"Get the hell out of here, Salvatore. Before I kill you for good," I snap, getting ready to turn off my lights in the living room and go to bed.

Suddenly, handsome, cologne-smelling Damon is right in front of me, blocking my route through the hallway as he leans against the wall, giving me one of his signature smirks.

"See, I don't think you _will_, Alessia. Because, as much as you want me to believe you don't care about us anymore, you wouldn't _hate_ us if you didn't," he confidently guesses, and the analysis sends a shiver up my spine.

No.

I turn on my heel, spinning away from him when he grabs my wrist, yanking me back into his chest. I glower up at him as I stumble into him, and he spins me to where he has my wrist pinned above my head against the wall, us still facing each other as the distance grew closer.

My heart pounds loud and hard, fueled by anger and presumably something else, but not something I care to dwell on.

"You're so _pathetic_, Damon," I sigh, "I know you just want someone to pay attention to you when Elena isn't, but can't you bother someone who cares? That's adorable, like a puppy. Too bad girls don't fall in love with puppies, now do they? She got a leash for your bitch ass, too?"

Damon's glare becomes fierce on mine, and I don't realize how close we've become until I feel his warm breath on my cheeks. Heat blossoms in my chest, and we're both just there, in that moment of so much drama and tension and build up.

_"Shut _the _**fuck** _up_, _Alessia_," _Damon growls, and it's the last thing I can hear or say before his lips slam down on mine.

Everything is heat and passion and hate and confusion, and I drown in it.

———

**Flash Forward**

**10 HRS LATER**

———

Blinking rapidly, I open my bathroom door, fully recollecting, but not understanding what I had done.

Who I had slept with.

There, lo and behold, is a naked Damon Salvatore— manhood covered by the twisted Egyptian cotton sheets— and my eyes widen to comedic proportions at the confirmation.

His shaggy-haired early morning appearance is, frankly, the hottest thing I've ever seen, but I am very conflicted as to how I felt about this.

Did I consider this a good or a bad thing?

_Definitely a good thing from what I remember, _Lettie helpfully adds, and a flash of Damon and I passionately embracing floods my mind.

Okay. Okay. This was fine. It was just Damon, nothing dramatic would happen just because Damon and I had sex. Everything was going to be fine, and I would walk away from this just as easy as he did from me.

Or, at least that's what I thought, when I heard a British voice yell from the front door, "You ready to be our battery, pretty Bennett?"

_Goddammit._

**———**

**A/n: Hey guys! Sorry for the late update, but you guys should know that I'm going through some stuff at home so I won't be able to post as much as I'd like. Thank you for your patience! **

**Also, we haven't talked about smut yet, so, let me know if it's something you guys are interested in! Also, I know some people don't like it, so I'll clearly mark it if it's there moving forward.**

**———**


	35. Thirty Two

**Pistanthrophobia**: _def._ the fear of trusting someone

———

**Chapter 32: Everybody Makes Mistakes; Everybody Has Those Days.**

———

There are some moments in life where it's important to take a stand.

A point where one must own up to their mistakes, acknowledging them, and finding closure in it. Where you have to face the consequences of your own reckless actions and promise to do better.

This was not one of those times.

Panicking, I hear Kol at my front door, opening it and starting to head towards the bedroom with his adorable British accent that only spelled doom for me; and just as that happens, Damon starts to blink awake blearily, squinting as his eyes adjust to the now-sunlit room.

Fuck,_ fuck, **fuck**_**.** _What do we do??_

Why did I even sleep with Damon? I hate Damon! Oh my god, there is way too much to unload here for me to come up with a rational way to explain the naked Salvatore in my bed. How am I supposed to explain what I don't understand myself?

_Oh, god, what have we __done? _Lettie loudly asks in my mind—but, I quickly shake off what she says, focusing.

Pause.

Not dealing with the emotional repercussions of it right now.

In this moment, I'm so glad that I don't have any kind of moral quandary, because I make a split second decision that gets me out of there.

Closing my eyes, I quickly think of the closest nearby safe place to be a naked woman, remembering the sensation of scattering into millions of atoms along the breeze. Heart pounding, the last thing I see when I open my eyes again is Damon sitting up in the bed, watching me disappear with wide eyes.

And then, I'm gone.

Scattered amongst the cosmos until I find my center, reshaping back into reality. I have to blink once or twice to readjust to the sudden nearly-dimensional shift, and when I do, I realize where my adrenaline addled brain has dropped me: Caroline Forbes' bedroom.

I was such a moron.

_Duh_. My brain still thinks of this as my 'Code: Red' safe space. Of course in a panic it thought of here as a safe base.

Furrowing my brows, I try to reorient myself, trying to adjust from an absolutely insane scenario into another one— when suddenly, her bedroom door swings open. I yelp, covering up my naughty bits as cornflower blue eyes widen cartoonishly at me, Caroline yelping back in fright before rapidly blinking.

Realizing that Caroline must've just gotten out of the shower, she rounds slamming her door closed before leaning against it, toothbrush in her mouth as she looks at me in shock.

"Jesus Christ, Aless! You scared me half to death!" She whisper-yells, suddenly blinking widely at my naked state once again, as if she just remembered it again.

She rapidly spins around, grabbing the yellow fluffy bathrobe from the hook behind her door and tossing it to me before narrowing her eyes.

"Are those _hickies?_" Care asks incredulously.

Quickly throwing on the bathrobe, I self-consciously cross my arms across my now-fluffy yellow chest. Thinking quickly, I realize that I've thrown a golden opportunity my own way.

Obviously, I needed to figure some things out— because, as it stands right now, my head and heart is scrambled all over the place. I have no idea what emotions are turned on or turned off, and frankly, I'm pretty sure I'm losing my mind.

My sleeping with Damon made absolutely no sense to me, especially with how my brain was wired currently— and that was _precisely _the problem.

My brain _wasn't _like it normally would be, and nothing was lining up. My feelings for Damon were pretty much made null and void the second he decided to keep me in the ditch— so _why _did I fuck Damon?

And why can't I remember any of it? I wasn't hungover, so I wasn't _that _drunk.

_I have no idea, _Lettie added.

_I wonder what could've happened, _Dahlia ponders.

Either way, didn't matter. The main issue was that if I was compromised, there was no way I'd be able to properly track Grams _or _kill Elena Gilbert. So, a vacation was in order.

What? If I can't be dealing with group drama until I give myself brain surgery, I can't be in Mystic Falls _at all._

There was no way the Brothers Mikaelson and the Brothers Salvatore would leave me alone for enough time to find out what is wrong with my head. They'd either do something that makes me have to stop halfway through, or they'd try and do something to me while I was out of commission— so, not only did I need to be _gone, _I needed someone to watch over me.

The list of people who I could take with me was surprisingly short: only two people. And the other one would keep the first in check since she hated her. If she ended up being a flight risk, then so be it. At least I'd know for sure that she was lying.

"Do you _really _want to make up with me?" I ask firmly, looking her deeply in her cornflower blue eyes for any sign of deception.

Caroline stiffened, watching me for a moment. She knew what I was asking her.

_How far are you willing to go?_

Her cornflower blue eyes were conflicted, thin brows furrowing as she thought seriously about what I was asking.

_How much is our friendship worth to you?_

After another moment or two, she closes her eyes, doing a deep exhale as if praying God for forgiveness already. Opening her eyes to look at me, my ex-blonde watches me earnestly before slowly nodding— already a silent agreement.

"I would do _anything_ for things to be like they were, Aless," her eyes start to water and her long lashes blink rapidly in an attempt to fight them off.

Trying not to let myself get my hopes up at a redemption arc, I give her a small smile and an awkward nod. "Good. Pack your shit, chica. We're going to New Orleans."

Blue eyes widen cartoonishly.

_"What?"_

———

8 HOURS LATER

———

"Well, I can easily say that when we started this junior year, I did _not_ think we three would be in this car," Caroline sighs from the backseat. "And when's it my turn to drive?"

Vicki Donovan gives Care a look through the rear view mirror, brown hair blowing in the breeze as the sun beamed down on their 2009 Lamborghini Gallardo.

"When you compel yourself a luxury car, Blondie," she calls back over the pop music flowing from the stereo, turning to give me a look as well before gesturing to my feet on the dashboard.

Groaning before setting my boots back on the floorboard, I give Vicki side-eye.

"_Ugh, _I didn't know that you when you're sober is such a fucking fuddy dud. What's the point of the cool vampire powers if you don't properly use them to do whatever you want?"

Vicki grins wickedly, like she has a juicy secret.

"Oh, _trust me. _I do," she says after a moment, "I just like to keep my nose clean when I'm not in the city. Marcel says that if we fuck up within quarter bounds, then he can help if we get in trouble. I don't do anything _that _bad, but it's nice to have your king in your pocket. As soon as we're back, I'll show you what a _great _time New Orleans can be for two vampires and a mega-witch."

Pushing one of my wind-whipped curls out of my face as we take another curve of highway, I smile playfully at her, "_Ooh, Marcellus Gerard. _Sounds like a vampire king to me."

Caroline's blonde head suddenly pops in from the space between mine and Vicki's seats, looking at us both curiously before asking, "So, is the vampire monarchy a thing in _every _city? Like is that something I need to be worried about when I finally become an actress? Or..?"

"Depends where you are," Vicki called back, "Different supernaturals deal with their power struggles in different ways. I happen to like the monarchy so far, but it'll fail eventually."

Shrugging, because she's not wrong, I lean my head back against the seat. We three had been driving for about seven hours now, and we'd still have at least another six to go— but, god, if running away from my problems didn't feel _fantastic _right now.

_Why had I always been facing my problems **directly? **_

Like, clearly, directly was quicker—but, this was saving what little was left of my sanity. Also, when was the last time I had actually taken a vacation? I hadn't taken a breather of this whole supernatural thing since I was born. I was tired. This was so much more relaxing.

Is this how normal people feel? Unburdened by the weight of what's predestined; where you get to wake up in the morning, go to work, go to sleep, and one day, die a less than important death. There was a certain beauty to an unimportant existence, one where life was simple. If I hadn't been born a Bennett, maybe this could've been my life every day.

Easy Breezy.

Where I wouldn't constantly be running to keep up with immortal vampires with daddy issues.

That could've been nice.

You know, at first I didn't understand the whole 'Rebekah wants to be human' thing, but I think I finally get it. I would've most of the time preferred the plethora of issues affecting teenagers today— like drug addiction and teen pregnancy— over all of this bullshit.

Wow, never thought I'd say that I'd actually rather be pregnant right now.

———

2 HOURS LATER

———

Pulling out of the McDonald's drive thru with over 50 worth of food and shakes, I pull the now-roofed car out of the rest stop, proceeding to line back up with the rest of traffic into the highway.

Caroline starts passing the fried sustenance around the car, sorting through the bags to get everyone's drinks set up in their cup holders. The woman had a system, and with the help of vampire speed, she had separated all of our orders to where Vicki had all her food, and Caroline had mine and hers on her lap and on the middle. Groaning, she suddenly moves to pull something out of her pocket.

Her phone continues to buzz, and she rolls her pretty blue eyes at whoever is calling.

"Aless, can we please just answer _one_ phone call so they leave us alone?"

Glancing down at the clock on the dashboard as I switch over to the fast lane, barely pressing my toe and having the Lamborghini speed up graciously, I shoot Caroline a look. They hadn't stopped calling since four hours ago, and they sun was set now into the early evening hours.

"How many calls is that now? And _who's_ actually calling?" I ask, opening my spicy chicken sandwich on my lap and taking a bite into the warm meaty goodness.

She starts scrolling down, and Vicki leans over in the backseat to watch her over her shoulder, ever the snoop.

"We've got four missed calls from Elena, six from Stefan, twelve from Bons, and for some reason, Damon called like twenty times— make that twenty one," she adds, blue light illuminating her pretty face as her phone begins to buzz once again.

Groaning, I roll my eyes.

"_Fine. _Remember everyone: where we're going, or why. We are seeing no one with nobody doing nothing nowhere. _Capisce_?" I firmly command the car, my voice not joking at all.

"In all fairness, you haven't told me why we're going yet," Vicki replies nonchalantly, and I roll my eyes as I see Caroline nod to me firmly.

So far, so good.

Caroline hadn't tried to message them our location behind my back, she hasn't tried to shoot any smoke signals saying where we are. As much as I hate to admit it, there's a small, nearly-dead part of me that hope she stays loyal. The blonde hurricane picks up the phone close to the last ring, putting it on speaker for us all to hear.

"What do you _want,_ Damon? You guys need to quit blowing up my phone. I'm busy," she snaps, and I can't help but smirk a bit at her acting skills.

_"Oh no, you're not, Blondie," _Damon snaps back from the phone, voice snarling. _"Where the fuck is Alessia?"_

"Oh, I'm _sorry,_ Damon," Caroline replies in a mock-sweet tone, her queen bee shining through brilliantly as her eyes narrowed on her phone venomously, "You mean my best friend who wants nothing to do with me because I let you all pressure me? What makes you think she's even talking to me— let alone, that I'd know where she is?"

Suddenly, there's a disruption on the phone call, as if someone has snatched the phone away from Damon.

_"Well, Caroline, that'd be because I have a witch watching you from your phone, right now,"_ a British tone finally crones, and my glare snaps to the phone as I recognize Klaus' threatening purr.

Damn, I forgot to spell the _fucking _phone.

Well, at least while it was in the _very-_spelled car, they wouldn't be able to trace our location— I had basically warded myself off every other way. And there was no way that weakling, Greta, or her family of nobody witches was going to breakthrough those boundaries. So, who cared if they could see us on this nowhere highway at night— maybe it'd get my point across much more clearly.

"Hello, Klaus," I greet noncommittally, not saying anything as Vicki leaned further back against the backseat and out of sight.

I'd guess that even if the Quarter hasn't seen the Originals in a minute, they still talk about them, and I didn't blame Vicki for not wanting to suffer with me. I felt a bit mean not telling her _all _of what she was getting into, but I needed protection in New Orleans and she was my only connection. New Orleans was the only place with enough vampire-power to keep Klaus at bay for a few weeks, at least. Or, that's how long it took in the first timeline anyway, but really I didn't have a lot of places left to run to.

Also, Grams hiding out in New Orleans is the second place I'd guess after Mystic Falls, _especially _since she has Esther's coffin, and after my brain gets fixed I could permanently fix that information leak.

_"Hello, love,"_ Klaus greets back, and I can tell he's _not _smiling, _"Mind telling me where you think you're running off to? We had a bargain."_

"No can do, Wolfman," I hit back, not bothering with the pleasantries since he was already pissed. "My head is acting funny, and that's more important to me than your coffin."

_"You will not win this. Come back now before I turn your town into my personal bonfire,"_ he threatens and my eyes narrow.

"Roast some marshmallows for me. They can burn for all I care," I reply, still thoroughly nonplussed at the idea of other people dying because of me. "But, after— when all of the embers settle— I still won't be there. And I'll have nothing that I'd have to come back home to. You don't scare me. If KitKat could run from you for five hundred years, I bet I could _definitely _make it to the end of my normal human lifespan."

Caroline's blue eyes widen, but I shoot her a pulse of my magic to tell her to chill without letting Klaus see. I was bluffing for the most part, but anyone Caroline cared about I could magic to safety in case Klaus meant what he said.

_He might. Nik tends to mean what he says, he's always been honest. Him and Eli both, _Dahlia sighs in my mind, and I smile wickedly inside when she does.

Sighing, I nonchalantly glance back over towards the phone, wondering who all could possibly be watching me through it. Obviously, Damon was there, so that'd be good enough for what I had planned.

"Oh, by the way," I add, in a bored tone to offset from the importance of the information I'm giving them— one of my best kept secrets, "Dahlia says '_she misses you and Eli.'_ How funny is that? Oh, and Damon, Lettie says _'go fuck yourself.'"_

There is absolute silence on the other end.

_Perfect._

"I wonder if they can see what I see," I speculate out loud as the silence drones on, wanting to make my point clear.

"I mean, they _are _both inside my head, but I've never asked how much they can feel. I bet Dahlia would _love _to see a city burn."

Ugh, I love moments like these. Pulling the wool off of other people's eyes was damn near cathartic when you were threatening them. I had an ace up my sleeve: whatever relationship Lettie and Dahlia had with the Brothers Mikaelson and the Brothers Salvatore.

It was obvious that both sides of the fence were clearly looking for _these_ girls when they looked at me, so I'd use it against them.

_"You're lying," _Klaus snarls on the other line, and I notice out of the corner of my eye that the car behind me is _seriously _riding my ass.

Pressing a bit harder on the gas, my eyes narrow when the black sedan behind me also speeds up getting awful close to our bumper. On a two-lane highway. _That's not normal._

"Caroline, hang up the phone," I mutter as I press harder into the gas pedal, going upwards towards 110mph and the black sedan behind us effortlessly trailing behind.

_Okay, now that wasn't normal._

Caroline isn't paying attention to me, instead looking out the back window with wide blue eyes as she lets out a shriek, the sedan slamming into the rear of the Lamborghini and sending us lurching forwards roughly. My forehead smacks against the steering wheel as Vicki yells, smacking against the back of the passenger's seat.

_"FUCK!" _I yell in pain, grasping my now-throbbing skull as I put my foot on the gas, using my magic to boost it even faster until we pull off of the fender of the black sedan.

_"What the bloody hell is going on?!" _Klaus yells from the line, but I can barely hear him, trying to focus my magic enough to blow out their engine, but finding strong magic protecting it.

"Vicki! Duffel bag!" I shout to the back, and thankfully, the green eyes vampire is quick on the uptake, quickly unzipping the bag.

_I guess she's been busy in New Orleans, _Lettie notes as Vicki doesn't even flinch at the weapons in there, instead just grabbing a handful of stakes and rolling down her window.

She leans out, narrowing her gaze before aiming for one of the tires, but missing.

Suddenly, several loud pings sound off of the metal of the car, and I narrow my eyes in confusion, pedal to the metal, when suddenly there's a hole in the windshield. Oh my fucking god, they're _shooting_ at us.

"Now would be a good time to hit the damn tire, Vicki!" I snap, rapidly swerving to miss another rear end bump. Vicki is half-out the window, gripping the 'oh-shit' handle for dear life as it's the only thing keeping her up.

"If it's so _fucking_ easy— _you do it,_ Bennett!" She screams back, this time aiming and hitting whoever is in the passenger side through the windshield, making blood splatter on the tinted inside of the windshield.

_Ew._

_"Alessia, where are you?!" _I hear Damon through the now gunfire-less car.

Oh good, she hit the shooter.

_"HANG UP THE **FUCKING** PHONE, CAROLINE!!" _Me and Vicki yell in tandem, and my blonde finally snaps out of her fear freeze, hanging up the phone.

Now, we can at least maybe die without being mansplained to our final breaths. Cornflower blue eyes rapidly scan the duffel bag as I swerve to avoid yet another hit, the driver clearly becoming more desperate to run us off the road. Caroline finds whatever she's looking for, rolling down her window just as Vicki climbs in to reload on stakes.

Leaning out, I see that Caroline is holding a fucking machete.

Glancing rapidly between her and the car, I think to myself, _No, Caroline wouldn't try to projectile throw a fucking machete from the passenger side window of a car moving over 150mph down a highway._

But, that's exactly what she does.

And somehow it fucking works.

I watch the machete slide through the metal grates in the front of the car straight into the engine, making the sedan explode almost on impact. The explosion launches the car forward by a shit ton, and I see Caroline fling out of the window like a bug.

_"CAROLINE!!" _I shriek as the car rocks, tumbles, and rolls to a stop on the empty night highway.

I feel the rapid spinning of gravity as the car nears the ground and quickly move my magic to shield Vicki and I. When it finally makes impact, the sensation rocks my head, but not nearly as badly as it should have as it slowly rolled to a stop, upside down in the middle of the highway.

The minute I get my head back in semi-working order, I'm trying to escape the confines of the wrecked luxury car, using my magic to bend and twist the metal around us to make a gaping hole in the side of the car. Sliding out of my seatbelt, I groan at the gross sticky feeling of all of our spilled milkshakes and some blood. Nothing too bad, little scratches and bruises— fixable.

As I crawl out of the car onto the road, I try to reorient myself. I have to find Caroline. Slowly sitting up on my knees, I glance around the wreckage on the road, I start to cough at the smell of burning metal and gasoline, seeing Vicki drag herself out of the car, then lying face-first on the gravel, coughing and gasping herself.

"That... fucking.. _sucked,_ Bennett," she says between coughs, not even caring that she's laying on the street.

"Agreed," I mutter after a moment, still scanning around for a blonde head in all of the wreckage as my vision starts to stop spinning, when I spot the remains of the black sedan. It lays on its back, too, ominously off to the side of the highway amongst sparse shrubs and grass.

Hearing a gust of wind approach, I see the lovely Caroline standing in front of us, looking no worse for wear than her hair being messed up and having a bit of blood on her shirt.

"That was..," she starts, looking at me down on the ground seriously before breaking into a smile, "_Epic! _Did you see us?? We were like Charlie's Angels for reals, Aless!!"

Chuckling in disbelief at my blonde friend as she extends two hands down to help us both up, I shake my head at how refreshingly positive she is. I had missed it, if I was honest. I was a bit of a Negative Nellie, and she had always helped to give me some perspective at the craziest moments.

Yeah, this life sucked balls— but there were things you got to do as a supernatural that no one else got to. My life isn't boring.

Tragic, pretty funny, altogether _very_ dramatic— but, never boring.

And that's when there's a shuffle of metal over in the distance, over by the black sedan.

All three of us narrow our eyes, and I look at Caroline, silently asking her to grab whoever the fuck that was. She nods, letting go of our hands and turning her heeled bootie to vamp speed over to the black sedan, not caring at all as she pulled off the passenger side door and tossed it to the side. Reaching in, I see her grab a leg, proceeding to drag the bloody whoever-it-was behind her along the hard gravel.

She drops who I see is a man in front of me, wearing a brown sack with a symbol burned into its forehead— a sigil. I see a stake piercing his thigh, denoting his identity as the bastard who had been shooting at us. Standing, I glare down at the bastard as I twist my magic to make him painfully sit on his knees in front of me, driving the stake further in.

Reaching down as he yowls in pain, I grab the top of the hood and yank it off.

A harsh flurry of rage, hate, and overall pissed attitude floods me, and the waning moon that had been beaming down on us slowly gets covered by a darkening sky as I glare down into all too familiar caramel eyes. Caroline gasps and covers her mouth, and I see Vicki stiffen when she sees who it is.

"Well. _Hello,_ dad," I greet mock-cheerfully as I squat down to meet his firm, but worried gaze head-on.

Grabbing the bloody stake sticking out of his thigh, I threaten to twist it several times, enjoying his wince each time until finally I give it a hard wrench clockwise.

He cries out in pain, glaring fiercely at me as if I wasn't his own daughter. Well, in all fairness, I _am _torturing him for information. Good to see that my feelings towards family haven't changed since I've come up.

"I'd say I'm happy to see you, but that doesn't really express how _euphoric_ I am to have you here with me," I say after a moment, politely smiling at him as I still my hand. "However, your femoral artery has been hit, and there's no way you're coming back from that without my help. So, let's talk."

Gripping the collar of his black turtleneck, I yank my father up like the weakling he is, snarling venomously at him as my magic started to twist the stake further.

"_Where is Sheila Bennett?"_

———

**_A/n: Hey guys! I know big surprise that it's here so soon, but I didn't want people to quit my story! Thank you for all of your comments and support on this and all of my other books!_**

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	36. IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

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A/n: 

I know I said I wasn't doing more author's notes, but I think there's some confusion involving my story, and I'd like to clear the air.

I thought my little note about not having people quit my story was not enough, so after hearing from a few commenters, I want to make it perfectly clear.

I haven't turned into a shitty writer who's in it for the plot twists, I know things are very confusing right now. 

Why did Alessia sleep with Damon if she hates him? Why didn't Bonnie immediately apologize after Alessia came back? When the fuck did Damon become Team: Elena?

Trust me, I know it looks rough since the whole story isn't posted—but, I do have my original plot that I was going with when I came up with the idea of this story, and I'm still going through with it.

There's reasons why— and I promise we're close to explaining them— but, I need you guys to understand that my book is very electronically complicated. For whatever reason, if my chapter is more than 8,000 words, it won't upload. That means I have to do it in bite-sized chunks, otherwise not all of my readers get to see it.

I know it's taking me a while, but please have faith in me, and once my family stuff is taken care of, we'll be back in business.

Thank you all for your constructive comments, and I hope this will soothe your concerns about this story completely going 180 and sucking.

Love you guys, and see you soon!

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	37. I'M MOVING THE BOOK

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Alright guys, so, after much deliberation, I hate to say it, but I gotta move the book over to a new edition, just like the Other Petrova.

This book in particular seems to struggle with the links, so I'm going to be reposting the story. This version will still be up, it just will not be updated, so, I'm sorry for asking, but please go follow the other version of the story if you would like to continue reading.

The new one will also not have any of my individual Author's Note chapters.

Thank you all so much! And let's hope this actually works better for the new book.

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